Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state has appointed popular Nollywood actress, Mercy Johnson, as his new Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on entertainment, arts and culture .
Johnson’s appointment was announced with 62 others in a statement issued in Lokoja on Tuesday by the Secretary to the State Government ( SSG), Dr Folashade Ayoade.
The appointments take effect from April 1, the statement said.
According to Ayoade, the rationale for the appointments was to “fill key positions with the right people and to broaden inclusiveness in governance by bringing people from more communities on board.”
The breakdown of the new appointees showed that 54 of them will serve as Senior Special Assistants while nine will work as Special Assistants to the Governor as Federal Constituency Supervisors for the Governor Yahaya Bello (GYB) Connect Programme .
The SSG further stated that the appointments were made to recognise and encourage outstanding contributions to the New Direction Agenda.
“ The nine Special Assistants will also act as direct liaisons between the present administration and the Local Government Ward Coordinators of the GYB Connect Programme, “ the statement said.