We note with
concern the reactions and commentaries that have greeted the recent
announcement of the name of the wife of the President of Nigeria, Her
Excellency, Dame Patience Jonathan, among the list of 19 public servants who
were on July 11th appointed Permanent Secretaries in Bayelsa State.
Whereas the
action taken by our government in this regard was strictly done based on our
convictions as it relates to matters that we consider to be in the best
interest of our state, we do however, recognize the fundamental right of
Nigerians to know and ask questions about the wife of their President. We want
to believe that Nigerians' reactions to the promotion were in good faith but
what has become clear however is that many people lack adequate information on
the subject matter and hence the urgent need for government to set the records
straight.
In connection
with the above, government wishes to state as follows;
1. Unknown to a number of people the first
lady, Dame Patience Jonathan joined the Rivers State civil service in the 90's
and upon the election of her husband as Deputy Governor in 1999 transferred her
service to the civil service of Bayelsa State.
2. She rose through the ranks of the public
service of Bayelsa State and was last appointed into the directorate cadre as a
level 15 officer in 2005.
3. By the traditions of the Bayelsa State
civil service, officers on directorate level, some of whom are even junior to
her present position have been appointed as Permanent Secretaries before now.
Even among the list of those currently appointed, not all of them are the most
senior officers. Appointment is a combination of leadership, output,
dedication, geographical spread etc which informs a Governor's exercise of his
discretionary powers to appoint Permanent Secretaries in consultation with the
appropriate authorities.
4. We want to place it on record that His
Excellency, the Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson, is
convinced firstly, that wives of Governors, Vice Presidents, Presidents and all
other spouses whose positions are not recognized by the laws of the Country and
are not funded by the Government should be encouraged and supported to pursue
and maintain their independent careers. Happily, there are several instances in
this country where wives of presidents, governors, national assembly members
etc have gained recognition and have been rewarded in their chosen careers.
5. His Excellency believes that wives of
such public officers should not suffer prejudices or deprivation merely as a
result of the positions occupied by their husbands.
6. We believe that in this particular
instance, her services to the development of Bayelsa State and Nigeria as wife
of a Deputy Governor, Governor , Vice President and now President qualify as
essential service which should be recognized and rewarded, not derided and
denigrated on the altar of politics.
7. In the context of the ongoing general
reforms of the Public Service of Bayelsa State, it is public knowledge that
upon assumption of office, we have designed several means of promoting
professionalism and weeding out fraud and other vices from the service. In
furtherance of this, government has sent a bill to criminalize various forms of
fraudulent practices in the public service. A situation where previous
governments in Bayelsa State did not take the right actions in ensuring that
the first lady's status be protected and regularized within the context of the
civil service rules as an officer on leave of absence would lead to an
embarrassment of the state, country and Presidency. Accordingly, in view of all
these circumstances and in recognition of her services to the state and nation
coupled with the fact that she is also a directorate level officer and further
considering that the powers to appoint a Permanent Secretary by the Governor is
vested in section 208 sub section 2c of the constitution, the Governor has
exercised his discretion by including her in the list of 19 civil servants
against whose nomination there are no complaints.
This we think
is the most rationale and sensible manner of handling the present situation
created inadvertently by the in-attention of the previous government on this
issue.
We thank you
for your support, encouragement and cooperation and wish to assure the good
people of Bayelsa State that we will take decisions and actions that would be
in their best interest always.
Daniel
Iworiso-Markson
Senior
Special Assistant (Media & Public Affairs) to Bayelsa State Governor
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