Tinubu To Appoint Hakeem Muri-Okunola Principal Private Secretary

The current Head of Service for Lagos State, Hakeem Muri-Okunola is set to become the Principal Private Secretary (PPS) to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Fondly referred to as “HMO”, Muri-Okunola worked as a personal assistant to President Tinubu from 2003 to 2005 during Tinubu’s tenure as governor of Lagos state.

Tinubu later appointed him to the position of executive secretary of the land use and allocation committee.

Muri-Okunola rose to become a permanent secretary in 2011, approximately a decade after joining the civil service.

He was assigned to the Lands Bureau in the Governor’s Office. Since December 2018, Muri-Okunola has been serving as the Head of Service, succeeding Folashade Adesoye.

Despite being the son of the late Justice Muritala Okunola, the specifics of Muri-Okunola’s role as PPS remain uncertain, given that the president already employs a chief of staff

Historically, the role of PPS has varied. In 2007, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua abolished the office of the chief of staff when he appointed a PPS.

On the other hand, President Goodluck Jonathan managed to maintain both a chief of staff and a “principal secretary,” albeit without the “private” distinction.

According to TheCable’s understanding, Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila may manage the political aspects of the president’s responsibilities while Muri-Okunola might focus on administrative matters.

Furthermore, Damilotun Aderemi has been recently appointed as the senior special assistant (private secretary).