The President of The Gambia Transport Union (GTU) has accused the insurance companies of scamming vehicles owners with no benefits in return.
Omar Ceesay told a Star Radio Show also dismissed claim that third-party doesn’t pay in case of damage as ‘untrue’ explaining “the third-party is someone affected or goods on board.”
“I believe that some insurance companies are scammers, I believe what people say that some insurance companies are scammers. Out of the eleven insurance companies in the country, none is own by the government. They are owned by individuals. And the law gives Gambians the right to drive with insured cars,” he accused.
He added: “The minimum fee of insurance in The Gambia is D1,200. How many vehicles do we have in this country, almost three hundred thousand vehicles multiply this by one thousand two hundred. That’s millions of dalasis annually. But now what is the purpose of the money that you are taking from people.
According to him, the law says victims in insured vehicles should be compensated once an accident happens, but he said this is not happening in the country.
“You see, the accident that occurred in Buffer Zone, all those commuters should be compensated by the insurance company. That’s what law says, but people don’t know and the insurance companies don’t want people to know,” he said.
He also accused the insurance companies of failing to sensitise the public about how insurance works, adding they are not willing and committed to educate the public about insurance.
“For example, if an accident happens, they will tell you to report it to the insurance company and inform them the cause of the accident. It is not your responsibility it is the role of the police. The police will come to do their survey and investigation.
“But any compensation matter should be done by the insurance company and it should be done within three months. But the insurance companies are involved because people are tired of them, I don’t blame the insurance companies, I blame the government because they are forcing people to insure their properties,” he claimed.