The 57-year-old Patience was said to have left the service voluntarily. She was one of the appointed 17 permanent secretaries in the state civil service in July 2012.
The
appointment had caused outrage at the time with some Bayelsa residents accusing
Governor Seriake Dickson of politicising the civil service in the state.
Though
Ministry of Education sources said Patience disengaged from service
voluntarily, there were speculations that she resigned because of alleged rift
between her and Dickson.The alleged
frosty relationship between the governor and the President’s wife was said to
have been triggered by Patience unwillingness to support Dickson’s second term
bid.
One civil
servant who agreed to speak only on condition of anonymity, said, “The whole
thing is political. It appears Madam (the President’s wife) is not happy with
the governor. With her resignation, the battle line has been drawn. “I feel the
President’s wife resigned to enable her to have the moral right to slug it out
with Dickson ahead of the governorship poll in the state. Let no one deceive
you, the whole thing is politics. After all, she is 57 and the retirement age
is 60.”
Instead, it
was learnt that Jonathan’s wife had expressed her preference for the Special
Assistant to the President on Domestic Matters, Mr. Waripamowei Dudafa.
At the
state’s Ministry of Education on Thursday, many of the civil servants refused
to comment on the development. But Punch learnt from reliable sources that the
ministry had computed her terminal benefits already.
However, a
ranking official of the ministry said it was true Patience had resigned
voluntarily. The official, who did not want her name in print because she was
not authorised to speak on the matter, said she was not aware of the
resignation having political undercurrents.
She said, “I
can say Patience Jonathan has voluntarily retired. But whether there is
political undertone in her resignation or not, I cannot say.
“I think the
First Lady felt that her continued stay as Permanent Secretary will be
depriving others. Now that she has resigned, it will afford others the
opportunity to take over her position. “Already, in
accordance with the civil service rules, we have prepared all her entitlements.
Whatever is due her will be given to her. She will also be receiving her
pension.”
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