The non-payment of insurance policy premium for some years by the National Assembly management is currently putting the structures within the complex and vehicles procured by the nation’s parliament at risk.
Investigations by our correspondent on Wednesday revealed that the nation’s legislature also owes insurance firms premium on the life insurance policy for its workers.
A memo sighted by our correspondent showed that attempts to make the leadership of the 8th National Assembly settled the debt did not yield positive results.
In the memo written by the Clerk to the National Assembly, Mohammed Sani -Omolori, to the then President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, he raised the alarm over the inherent danger in the non-payment of the accumulated premium.
Sani-Omolori, in the memo, explained that unpaid premium on Senate’s vehicles was N716,660,142.60; House of Representatives’ vehicles -N430,357,518.63; management’s vehicles-N170, 964,052.50 and Group Life Insurance Scheme (Staff) -N736,356,157.10.
The management of the National Assembly usually buys operational vehicles for the 460 federal lawmakers and additional ones for the principal officers, every four years.
The implication of the memo is that, all the official vehicles purchased for members of the 8th National Assembly and some top management staff were not insured.
The clerk said the total accumulated amount owed insurance firms as unpaid premium stood at N2, 054,337,870.83.
The memo stated, “Unfortunately, the National Assembly presently owes insurance service providers in terms of premium on vehicles, fixed assets and life policy.
“Technically, this entails that we no longer have insurance cover based on the policy of ‘no premium, no cover.’
“In the light of the foregoing, it is requested that adequate budgetary provisions should be made to cater for Group Life Insurance Scheme for all public servants in the National Assembly as well as all insurable assets (buildings, motor vehicles, machinery and equipment).”
When contacted, the Director of Information, Rawlings Agada, promised to react after seeing the document.
Attempts to speak with him afterwards failed as repeated calls made to his mobile phone did not connect.
He had also yet to reply the text message sent to him as of the time of filing this report.
