Latest update November 26th, 2024 1:00 AM
Newsmen barred from entering NIS $69M building
-GM instructs manager to hide
Management and security of a controversial $69M Corriverton office of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) denied entry to media workers on Tuesday claiming that they had received orders from “higher up”.
The branch manager, Louise Bryan, was seen hiding at the back of the building. This raised even more questions over the secrecy and attempts to keep out the media.
The cost of the one-flat building has been raising eye-brows since Government commissioned the office on August 22, last.
Kaieteur News had published photographs of three homes that it had built for staffers at a cost of some $7M each.
The controversial $69M branch of NIS at Corriverton, Berbice.
The newspaper had requested from Dr. Roger Luncheon, the Chairman of NIS, the bill of quantities of the Corriverton branch. He promised to deliver the bill of quantities but then back-pedaled and said that the newspaper will have to deliver the bills of quantities and other information on the homes before NIS hands over what it has.
Kaieteur News last week handed over four files, representing information of monies spent on materials for the four homes, and later that day, the Office of the President, where Dr. Luncheon works, sent over an Engineer’s Estimate which said the project would cost $50.6M.
However, later that evening, Dr Luncheon who is also the Head of the Presidential Secretariat, issued a statement and said that the receipts representing monies spent on the four KN homes did not meet the requirements of the information asked for by the Office of the President. It was unclear what he meant last week.
At the commissioning, Dr Luncheon and Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh, disclosed that the commissioned building which was built from scratch saw $69M being spent.
Yesterday, to verify how the money was spent, Kaieteur News Publisher Glenn Lall, his Editor-in-Chief Adam Harris, and reporters were in Corriverton to see first hand how the $69M was spent.
Kaieteur News’ publisher, Glen Lall, being refused entry on Tuesday to the $69M NIS branch at Corriverton, Berbice.
Visitors to the building were allowed to freely enter and leave with no apparent checks by the security officials there.
However, upon recognizing Lall and Harris, the security guard whose name was given as Gravesande, immediately padlocked the gates and said he was not allowing them in.
He warned that only legitimate visitors transacting business would be allowed in and threatened to call the police. When told that he should call the police since NIS is a public facility, he declined.
The media workers were eventually told that orders had come from Georgetown from the General Manager, Doreen Nelson, not to allow them in.
Another female security guard was seen running constantly to the back of the building.
A cameraman decided to follow.
A woman, later determined to be Louise Bryan, the Branch Manager, was seen peering nervously around the side of the building. The female security guard was overheard telling her that the media were told that she is in a meeting and were not being allowed in.
They then noticed the cameraman, and both Bryan and the female security guard hastily retreated into a nearby official residence.
To further prevent the reporters from entering, the security guards even took the visitors to a back gate.
The Manager of the NIS Corriverton, Berbice branch, Louise Bryan, was seen Tuesday hiding at the back of the building from media workers. Her workers earlier said she was in a meeting.
Neighbours who refused to go on record too were highly critical of the cost.
“This is the talk of the area. This thing cost too much.”
It was the same comment around Corriverton and as far as Crabwook Creek.
According to one prominent businessman, the project should not have cost more than $15M.
“Is better I had bid on it too. Something not right. I could build six like that.”
Many neighbours came out to watch the media workers being refused entry.
Kaieteur News is continuing to study the information it has on the building and will be releasing the information on it shortly.
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23 thoughts on “Newsmen barred from entering NIS $69M building”
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KN please be careful. I am truly grateful for what you are doing but you know how this government is. I wonder whose pocket the rest of the money went into?
Well that is a stupid ass manager. He look pagley… standing up in the back yard as if he commit a crime. They dont ask questions?… because the GM told him to hide he gone and hide… Like he get some of the money along with the GM.
The questions are, what they did with the rest of the money, where is the rest of the money and can we get a line-item of how they arrived at $69 Million.
House slave mentality/
Those Managers need to show some integrity and stop being pawns in the PPP’s hand.
But then again, is it worth losing your pension over after serving so many years? Just ask the former acting head of the CTA who was in that position 11 years only to be replaced by Col Ramsaroop.
Yet the PPP goes to court (and their supporters come to this page) and deny it is committing economic genocide against Afro Guyanese.
Instead of doing their job, they playing hide-and-go-seek.
Long ago people used to say, you think i went to school in August.
Go after them KN, the majority of the Guyanese population do not understand that we the honest, hardworking Guyanese taxpayers are the ones that have to pay back all these amounts. You should do a column to educate our people on how our children and grandchildren will still be paying for these ridiculous costs long after we are gone.
These people getting catch all round with their pants down.
Like i said before for that money they should have gotten a 2 story bldg with central A/C.
This is logical reasoning,no one has to be a scholar to understand this situation,,once the journalist is refused permission to enter the NIS Building ,then it clearly shows that there is falsification with crockery, for was there innocence and clean work done then the News team would have been allowed to visit,,if ever another party wins the coming election, once it,s proven that there was falsification then it,s time to JAIL FROM HARRY RIGHT TO HARRY WRONG.
well well what is there to hide if the cost of the building is is right all this is what put the gov on the public watch list why cann’t the public see where the 69million is this gov relly needs to go order from higher up press not allowed into public place what if a customer take a picture of this bulding while inside or this is a real secured nuk plant that no one supposed to have a picture
This is absolute nonsense. No one has the right to deny anyone access to a Public building. I wonder what is considered as legitimate business. Situation in Guyana is heading downhill at an increasing rate. These occurrences along with others must not be tolerated. The GoG must be prepared to be transparent in all of their transactions.
Corruption at it’s best, they are running scared.
corruption stinks at NIS thats why they cannot pay me for my medical expenses over 2 years now…… contractors and kick backs are taking away the poor pensioners money
harris for an intelligent[?] man ,, misleading one who is a ‘wise fool’ !!! they had a right to get a release from the authorities ,, whether it’s thru the courts or by a promise of good intent acting in their sneaky element of surprise ,, gives rise to unpleasant feelings ! it matters not what’s inside or out ,, it’s already given and accepted by the entire village ,, the nation and ,, the diaspora ,, that there is no way ,, no matter what’s inside or out of the building ,, that it can cost 69mil GYD EVER !…. but goin to exercise PI survey is NOT the way to do it ! ,,, and quite simply put am surprised at harris !
DUMB, DUMBER, DUMBEST
DUMB: (#1) “[the security guard] warned that only legitimate visitors transacting business would be allowed in and threatened to call the police. When told that he should call the police since NIS is a public facility, he declined.”
(#2) the Branch Manager, was seen peering nervously around the side of the building.[while at the back of the building]
DUMBER: (#1) “orders had come from Georgetown from the General Manager…not to allow them in.”
DUMBEST: (#1) At the commissioning, Dr Luncheon and Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh, disclosed that the commissioned building which was built from scratch saw $69M being spent.
(#2)Neighbours who refused to go on record too were highly critical of the cost.
Perfect job done…again pic..tells the whole truth an nothing but the truth…legit…claims have evidence to prove its facts but NIS seems to be hiding same……..
Just goes to show the levels that people who are supposed to be professionals would go to. Why hide the outside of the building alone is a give away that it did not cost 69M. I don’t think this woman would be going to this extreme to avoid the media this is a directive from the top. The fact of the matter is it looks bad in the public eyes and senior Government officials should not stoop to this low in facilitating these Junior staff to lie to the public no wonder there is so much corruption in Guyana and no one is prosecuted, everybody owes some body a favor and actions such as this Manager’s is a living testimony no decent person would have done this.
take note tax payers!!!pay some interest in your money and what the ppp govt is doing with it
Why is the manager hiding? she did not build the building…lol
When will my people learn that it is time for them to stop these people from using us is it that the are afraid of loosing their jobs.If this is the case then the black man in Guyana has fallen further through the crack why is Louise Bryan the Manager hiding from Kaieteur News Personnel is she the person to answer the questions about the building or is it the Government duty to be accountable to the people of this country.Why is this woman the Manger of this NIS Branch hiding like a child playing hide and seek this is disgraceful behaviour on her part if she was my wife is a whole set a problem she in with me without doubt.l
You know strangely enough they created there non-sense and expect people to believe now that they are being responsible to answer simple questions they now hiding like osama bin laden. Whoever they are they believe we are proud to say look how much money the Government is spending – this building is a rip off of tax payers money. Let them hide they will have to come out on election to try and fool people.