The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

A Cabinet minister says the number of jobless Bahamians receiving benefits through the National Insurance Board (NIB) has declined by over 40 percent in the past six months following the economy’s post-COVID rebound.

Myles Laroda, minister of state minister in the Prime Minister’s with responsibility for NIB, said in his mid-term Budget contribution: “During the last six months there has been a total of approximately $54m that may have been paid . We broke down into the month of July 2021, the sum of $8.79m was paid and that was for approximately 21,000 people.

“Total for August 2021 was around $7.5m. Total benefits for September was $10.133m The total for October was $8.8m, November $10.9m. The total for December was $5.69m, and the total for January, $2.5m. We look at the breakdown of those who would have benefited month-by-month, and we see a steep decline in the amount of beneficiaries from a high of 21,000 in July to a low of 11,800 in January this year.”

Mr Laroda added: “With regard to the Disaster Reconstruction Authority, the debris management of that agency spent a total of $9.5m in managing the two debris management sites and one tracker station in Abaco, and $3.5m was spent in just four months in Grand Bahama managing the two sites.

“One contractor was responsible for that site in Grand Bahama. So we’d like to point out that there is a forensic audit going on, and I would not like to jeopardise that. So I will just give certain information and let the evidence be revealed in the audit report of which we will make available.

“I would like to say that during the management of these sites there was a gap - and I’m quoting one of the former directors - that there was a gap where the Government paid $14m without due diligence.” In Elbow Cay, there was no contract for debris removal but a “notice to proceed” with works was issued.

Turning to the Abaco Hurricane Centre, Mr Laroda said: “There was a joint venture between a Bahamian and a foreign entity for the plans, and also the construction, of that facility along with some government homes, of which $400,000 was dispersed. Some $215,000 was dispersed to an entity, then attempts had to be made to try recover those funds.

“Further $185,000 was paid for the plans of this $1.8m structure. To date, $900,000 has been spent on that project and, when I last visited the site in Abaco, I can tell you that the foundation has not been poured yet. Nine hundred thousand dollars on a project that was scheduled for $1.8m has ballooned to $3.7m, and all we have is a structure with the foundation not poured, but steel coming out of the ground and a few courses of blocks.

“I’m not a construction man, but I know that don’t sound right... This recovery started under the FNM (Free National Movement), so this isn’t just to be the PLP (Progressive Liberal Party) trying to recover these funds. We were advised that the funds paid related to pre-procurement costs, of which there was three days of per diem at $22,000 per day.”