Mercy Johnson appointed as Senior Special Assistant to Kogi state government

Nollywood actress, Mercy Johnson-Okogie, has been appointed by Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, as his senior special assistant on entertainment, arts and culture.

Johnson was appointed alongside 53 other Senior Special Assistants on Tuesday.

The position is the 32-year-old actress’s first political appointment in her home state.
A statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Ayoade Arike, said the appointments will be effective from April 1.

Mrs. Arike said the appointments are to “plug identified gaps in service delivery, fill key positions with the right people and to broaden inclusiveness in governance by bringing people from more communities on board.”

According to the statement, in addition to the 54 Senior Special Assistants appointed, nine Special Assistants to the Governor as Federal Constituency Supervisors for the GYB Connect Programme have also been approved.

The statement said the appointment was to recognise and encourage outstanding contributions to the New Direction Agenda.

The statement added that the nine Special Assistants would also act as direct liaisons between the present administration and the Local Government Ward Coordinators of the GYB Connect Programme.

Mercy, who charges as much as N2 million to star in a movie, auditioned for her first movie role in The Maid in 2004, right after completing her secondary school education.

The movie launched her unto stardom. Her outstanding performance in the movie also fetched her other roles in blockbusters such as Hustlers, Baby Oku in America, War in the Palace, and many more.