Senate queries payment of N13.4m premium for NIS grounded aircraft

0
407

The senate committee on public accounts has queried the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) over the payment of N13, 419, 800.00 premium for the insurance of its grounded aircraft.

The senate also announced a comprehensive investigation of the matter.

The committee said the two aircrafts should not have been insured because they were grounded.

It therefore gave the service one week to respond to the query and prove that no misdeed was committed.

The committee’s investigation arose from the 2016- 2018 reports of auditor general’s of the federation.

According to the audit report, the cost of one of the premiums paid by the NIS in 2016 was N13.4 million, while the ones for 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 were not shown to the panel.

Expressing dissatisfaction with the payment of millions of naira as premium for grounded aircraft, chairman of the committee, Mr. Matthew Urhoghide, lamented that so much money could be spent on insurance for unserviceable aircrafts.

The audit query which was sent to the Senate’s Public Accounts Committee reads: “At  the  Nigeria  Immigration  Service,  Headquarters,  Abuja,  the  following observations  were made: Amounts  totaling  N13,419,800.00  were  paid  through  two  payment  vouchers  dated February  and  March, 2016  to  an  insurance  broker  for  the  renewal  of  premium  of  Nigeria Immigration  Service  Aviation  fleet  policy.

“The following  information  were  not  made available: Original copy of  insurance  policy  on aviation  fleet, Evidence of  renewal of the aviation  fleet  policy in year  2014/2015,  Evidence of  the  acknowledgement  of  the  receipt  of  payment  by  the  insurance broker,  Evidence  that  the  brokers  remitted  the  sum  of  N13,419,800.00  to  the  insurance company,  Renewal endorsement  for year 2014/2015 and 2015/2016,  Appropriation to pay for the renewal of the policy,  Computation analysis  on the premium renewal,  Location of  the aircrafts and  Evidence that the aircrafts were airworthy.

“The  comptroller general  should  produce  the  mentioned  documents,  otherwise recover  the  sum  of  N13,419,800  from  the  insurance  brokers  and  furnish  evidence  of recovery  for  verification.”

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here