Scandal Rocks Insurance Stickers Project
By LEKAN FADEYI
Discrepancies about costing and 'non compliance with due process' may be the reasons for the cancellation of the contract for the printing of the Vehicle Insurance Stickers (VISER), and a resultant four months postponement of the date of compliance by motorists from next month to January next year.
Impeccable sources told The Guardian that stakeholders at a meeting in May criticised the award of the printing of a unit of the sticker for N50: 00 when there were no cogent and convincing reasons for the sticker to cost beyond N38: 00
The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) and a London based company had in a contract agreement dated October 24, 2003 had consented to print a unit of the VISER at N50: 00. It was later said that a representative of the company agreed that the company offered N39: 00 but would have given a rider for further additional cost to cover the loses incurred in the first production.
A meeting of the Directors/SLA on the VISER project had been said to have agreed to persuade the contractor to accept the N39: 00 or return the hologram while proper and reasonable steps are taken to determine the contract for whose award due process was to be invoked to get prospective/ interested parties to tender for the job.
"But few days after the decisions which include that the NIA be informed of the development were taken, the Commissioner for Insurance minuted to convey the decision of a meeting of himself, two directors of NAICOM and NIA, and the representatives of the group saying it has been decided that the order placed for the stickers based on N50: a unit be allowed to stay", said the source.
Further investigations have however revealed that the award of the contract in the first place was not in order. A source at the Finance and Administrations department of NAICOM said
"the total amount of the award, N20.525, 000.00 by the commissioner was beyond the powers of the commissioner and the governing board being above N20:00 million."
