Lagos Head of Service to be named Tinubu’s Principal Private Secretary

Akinwande Soji-Ojo

The Lagos State Head of Service, Hakeem Muri-Okunola, popularly known as HMO, would be appointed as Principal Private Secretary (PPS) by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, TheCable reports.

Muri-Okunola was personal assistant to Tinubu between 2003 and 2005 when he was governor of Lagos State.

The president thereafter appointed him executive secretary of the land use and allocation committee.

He became permanent secretary in 2011, 10 years after joining the civil service, and was posted to the Lands Bureau in the Governor’s Office.

HMO has been the Head of Service since December 2018,taking over from Folashade Adesoye.

The Head of Service, who turned 51 in January, is the first son of late Justice Muritala Okunola.

It is, however, unclear what his job description as PPS would be since the president already has a chief of staff.

When President Umaru Musa Yar’Adau appointed a PPS in 2007, he abolished the office of the chief of staff.

However, President Goodluck Jonathan had a chief of staff in addition to a “principal secretary” without the “private.”

Ordinarily, a PPS runs the president’s office, same role the chief of staff plays.

But the medium reports that Tinubu’s chief of staff, Rt Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, may focus more on the political aspects of the president’s engagements while Muri-Okunola may handle the administrative matters.