The upper chamber of the National Assembly has expressed anger over payment of the N13, 419,800 premium to Insurance Broker for grounded Aircraft by the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS).

The Committee on Public Account, which flayed the NIS over this development, asked the agency to recover the money.

The Committee hinged the Investigation of NIS on the 2016- 2018 reports of the Auditor-General of the Federation.

Responding, the Deputy Controller in Charge of Directorate Account, Wuraola Adepoju explained that when the premium was paid to the insurance broker, the aircraft was available before Presidential order that the aircrafts be ceded to Nigerian Airforce.

She added that NIS had the Aircrafts, but, unfortunately, she could not present the picture of the Aircrafts to the committee chaired by Senator Matthew Urhoghide.

She, therefore, asked the panel to give her one week’s grace to show the aircraft to the panel.

In one premium paid by immigration, it showed N13.4 million in 2016 while that of renewal endorsement for years 2014/2015 and 2015/2016, were not shown to the panel to know the total amount paid for unserviceable aircraft.

Expressing dissatisfaction with the payment of millions of naira as premium for grounded aircrafts, Senator Matthew Urhoghide wondered how the NIS could be paying millions of naira premium to unserviceable aircrafts

“The two aircraft ought not to have been insured because they are grounded. You are insuring a property that is not serviceable and you have spent so much money on it,” he said.

The query reads: “At the Nigeria Immigration Service, Headquarters, Abuja, the following observations were made:- Amounts totaling N13,419,800.00 (Thirteen million, four hundred and nineteen thousand, eight hundred naira) were paid through 2 (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 was not made available: (i) (ii) Original copy of Insurance Policy on aviation fleet. Evidence of renewal of the aviation fleet policy in the year 2014/2015. (iii) Evidence of the acknowledgment of the receipt of payment by the Insurance Broker. (iv) Evidence that the Brokers remitted the sum of N13,419,800.00 to the Insurance Company. (v) Renewal endorsement for years 2014/2015 and 2015/2016. (vi) Appropriation to pay for the renewal of the policy. (vii) Computation analysis on the premium renewal. (viii) Location of the aircraft. (ix) Evidence that the aircraft was 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,” the query read.

(Daily Independent)

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