ABOUT 15 ministers in former president Dr Goodluck Jonathan's government are still said to be holding on to their official vehicles over three months since leaving office including pilot cars which guarantee easy passage on highways. 

On May 29, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government of Dr Jonathan handed over the President Muhammadu Buhari's All Progressives Congress in what was Nigeria's first change of government between parties since independence. However, it appears that several PDP ministers are reluctant to give up the trappings of office as many of them have not returned their official vehicles. 

Apart from the official and pilot vehicles, they are also reluctant to hand back cars attached to the member of their families. Already, the federal government has written to some of the ex-ministers to return the official vehicles  to the ministries but several of them claim they have not done so because of outstanding salaries and severance packages. 

Permanent secretaries in the ministries have been asked to write the former ministers asking them to hand back the vehicles. It is believed that the government threatened to compel the ex-ministers to handover the vehicles or face sanctions. 

One presidency source said: “Some of the ex-ministers are yet to return their official vehicles, especially the sport utility vehicles, which they were using. It is amazing that some of them are still using pilot vehicles for passage.

 “While some of them claimed they are still entitled to such perks for about three months after leaving office, a negligible few handed over their vehicles before May 29. Some of them said they had not fully disengaged because they had outstanding eight-month salaries, allowances, claims and severance package to collect from the government."

 He added that the government has no choice but to write the affected ex-ministers asking them to return the cars. According to the source, if the cars were not returned the government may be forced to buy new vehicles for the incoming ministers. 

“Some former ministers assumed that they were entitled to some of these vehicles because of the monetisation policy of the government and they said they were awaiting official clarification on the matter. However, some ministers last returned some vehicles last Thursday." 

A former minister in the ministry of power was said to have returned 15 vehicles to the pool. It is believed that some of them were from parastatals and agencies which were attached to his ministry. 

One former minister said: “They are talking of vehicles when some of us have not been paid for eight months. Most of us have outstanding claims and legitimate allowances to collect.

 “Do you know that most of us, including ex-president Jonathan and ex-vice president Namadi Sambo have not been paid our severance package? We left this vital decision to the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari."