President Umaru Yar�Adua has stopped the purchase of official vehicles for ministers, special advisers and permanent secretaries.
A statement from the Special Adviser to the President on Communication, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, said that the President gave the directive during the Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday.
It was gathered that deliberations on the need for official vehicles took a great part of the meeting, which lasted over eight hours.
The President has already informed the leadership of the National Assembly of this decision, which came against a backdrop of reports and insinuations that the Yar�Adua administration had dumped the monetisation policy initiated by his predecessor.
Adeniyi explained that henceforth, no official vehicles would be purchased and dedicated to any minister, special adviser or permanent secretary, as earlier approved at a FEC meeting on August 15, 2007.
After the August 15 FEC meeting, the Minister of Information, Mr. John Odey, had informed newsmen that the council approved the purchase of official cars for a �select category� of public servants, despite the current monetisation policy of the Federal Government.
It was then explained that the concerned officials would only use the vehicles during official hours.
Apart from ministers, special advisers and the permanent secretaries, others then listed among the beneficiaries included the Chief of Staff to the President, as well as the Deputy Chief of Staff.
The statement explained that immediately after the FEC approved the vehicles for these public servants, the management of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission advised the President that the decision was in breach of the �Certain Political, Public and Judicial Officers (Salaries and Allowances etc) Act No. 6 of 2002.�
Adeniyi said that Yar�Adua secured a vacation by the FEC of its earlier approval based on the advice from the RMAFC, and in line with his commitment to the rule of law.
However, ministers, special advisers and permanent secretaries could still continue to make official use of pool vehicles in their respective establishments, as provided for in the guidelines for the implementation of the monetisation policy.
The statement reads, �It would be recalled that at its meeting on August 15, 2007, the Federal Executive Council approved the provision of dedicated vehicles for ministers, special advisers and permanent secretaries for the performance of their official duties.
�The Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission subsequently advised President Umaru Yar�Adua that the provision of the vehicles as approved would be in breach of Certain Political, Public and Judicial Officers (Salaries and Allowances etc) Act No. 6 of 2002.�