Sanwo-Olu bars commissioners, others from appointing PAs

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has barred political appointees from appointing Personal Assistants, henceforth.

This is coming ahead of the final approval of 38-member cabinet- designate by Lagos State House of Assembly, as well as inauguration by the Governor.

The directive, it was gathered has generated different reactions from the public which viewed the appointment of PAs as a form of job creation for the teeming populace.

The new state government’s policy was contained in a circular dated August 18, 2023, with Ref. No: CIR/HOS/’23/Vol.1/070, signed by the Head of Service, Hakeem Muri-Okunola.

The circular read in part: ”It is hereby notified for general information that appointments of personal assistants from outside the State Public Service by the Honourable Commissioners and Special Advisers, (Cabinet and Non Cabinet Rank) in the discharge of their day-to-day functions is not in line with the structure in the State Public Service as they will not be allowed any privileges nor permitted to view official documents.

“However, whilst noting that personal assistants play crucial role in supporting political appointees towards effective service delivery, this all important support staff can be internally sourced from Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) in the state by ensuring that qualified and competent officers are assigned to them, so as not to increase the wage bill of the government.

“Consequently, political appointees requesting the need of personal assistants are hereby enjoined to liaise with the Accounting Officer of affected MDAs and subsequently forward the officer’s name to the public service office for deployment.

“Accordingly, Accounting Officers are enjoined to note the contents of this circular and give it the deserved Service-wide publicity.”

Meanwhile, different reactions have trailed the directive as some politicians commended it, describing it “as welcome development,” targeted at reducing cost of governance.

Others said the policy would negatively affect the job creation drive, particularly, the youths across constituencies.