No fewer than 14 ministers in the Goodluck
Jonathan Administration will not receive any
severance package from the Muhammadu
Buhari government having allegedly failed to
meet the requirement for benefitting from
such.

It is also gathered that most of the new 36
ministers inherited decrepit offices, making
it difficult for them to settle down for work.
The ex-ministers that may forfeit their
severance package are said to have spent
less than two years in office to qualify for the
package.

Investigation revealed that the Buhari
administration has stuck to the
implementation of the terms of appointment
of the over 14 former ministers.

A clause in their appointment letters reads in
part: “Severance Allowance of 300 %of
Annual Basic Salary payable after full tenure
of office with government. The allowance will
be pro-rated after a minimum of two years
tenure.”

It was learnt that some of the affected ex-
ministers barely spent a year or three months
in office.

In this category are Senator Musiliu
Obanikoro (Lagos)-Minister of State for
Foreign Affairs II; Mr Kenneth Kobani
(Rivers)-Minister of State for Trade and
Investment; Patricia Akwashiki (Nasarawa)-
Minister of Information; Nicholas Akise Ada
(Benue)- Minister of State for Foreign Affairs I; Augustine Akobundu (Abia)- Minister of
State for Defence; Fidelis Nwankwo (Ebonyi)-
Minister of State for Health; Hauwa Lawan
(Jigawa)-Minister of State for Niger Delta
Affairs and Senator Joel Danlami Ikenya (Taraba)-
Minister of Labour and Productivity.
Others are Mr Benjamin Osita Chidoka
(Aviation); ex-Governor Ibrahim Shekarau
(Minister of Education); Steve Oru (Minister
for the Niger Delta); Prince Clement Adeyeye
(Minister of State for Works); and Abdul
Bulama (Minister of Science and Technology)
and Dr. Abubakar Olanrewaju Suleiman
(National Planning).

A source said: “The affected ex-ministers
have been notified that they are not entitled
to severance package in whatever form.
“They have not met the official requirements
for severance package and they won’t get it.

“I think those affected should be up to 20. So
far, more than half of those in Jonathan’s
cabinet will not get severance package.
“If they had been paid in error, we would have
asked them to refund the severance
allowance.”

Sources also said yesterday that some of the
new 36 ministers inherited decrepit portfolios.
The situation varies from ministry to ministry.
In some ministries,ministers met no official
vehicles, while in others, the treasuries were
practically empty with no imprest to meet
basic needs.

It was gathered that many of the ministers
are finding it difficult to operate because
their predecessors stripped the ministries of
basic tools to work with.

Investigation revealed that some ministers
have no official vehicles because their
predecessors sold same to themselves in line
with what they called “monetization” policy.
Others appropriated government vehicles
since their severance package was not paid.

A highly-placed source said: “There is a case
of a female minister who is using her
personal SUV as official vehicle. Also, she has
provided the pilot vehicles too in her convoy.

“Another minister went to the National
Assembly to clarify some issues and what
was left as official vehicle in bad shape broke
down.

“We have the case of another minister who
went away with 10 vehicles of his ministry
and parastatals. The ministry had to write
him to return some of the vehicles when the
minister was adamant.

“There is no minister without one story or the
other to tell. All of them have no imprest to
meet basic needs in their ministries. Most ex-
ministers left nothing in the treasuries.”

The spokesman for the Jonathan cabinet, ex-
Minister of National Planning, Dr. Abubakar
Olanrewaju Suleiman, said: “To the best of
my knowledge, most ministers returned their
official vehicles. The necessary handover
procedures were fully complied with.
“If there is any issue in a ministry, you can
bring it up and we will crosscheck the facts
for you.

“It is also true that some of the former
ministers will not get severance package
because they did not stay in office for two
years.

“And as for those entitled to severance
package, not all of them have been paid. This
is to show you that ex-President Goodluck
Jonathan did not abuse the privilege of
office. Unlike previous administrations,
Jonathan did not give his ministers any exit
bonanza or package.”

source: www.thenationonlineng.net/obanikoro-shekarau-other-jonathans-ministers-lose-severance-package/

Ok what next

Interesting

A severance package is pay and benefits an employee receives when he or she leaves employment at a company. In addition to the employee's remaining regular pay, it may include some of the following: An additional payment based on months of service. Payment for unused vacation time or sick leave.

“If they had been paid in error, we would have asked them to refund the severance allowance.”