Chime asks NAICOM to redeem image of insurance
ENUGU — GOVERNOR Sullivan Chime of Enugu State has called on the National Insurance Commission, NAICOM, to re-double efforts to redeem the image of the insurance industry in the country in order to restore peoples’ confidence in that sector.
Speaking at the flag off of Compulsory Insurance, which is part of the road show organized by NAICOM for the South East zone in Enugu, Governor Chime said the commission could do this by ensuring prompt payment of compensations to victims as obtainable in developed countries.
The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi, stressed that to redeem the dwindling image of the past insurance companies in the country, the new programme of the companies must ensure equal services and protection to the people as obtainable in the developed world.
He added that insurance companies in the country should convince the people that insurance industry in Nigeria was ready to manage risks of their clients by prompt payment of compensations to victims.
The governor, who earlier received the leadership of NAICOM who paid him a courtesy call at the Government House, Enugu, noted that the importance of insurance industry can not be overemphasized, adding that his administration insured all vehicles procured by it before usage.
He, however, assured members of the board of his administration’s readiness to assist them in the sensitization of the people on the importance of available insurance services.
In her speech, the Chairman of the Board of NAICOM, Hajia Maryam Ciroma, reiterated the commitment of the board to enforce the compulsory insurance scheme to ensure that the citizens and national resources were adequately protected.
She said: “To the Board of the National Insurance Commission, there can no longer be any delay in the enforcement of compulsory Insurance in Nigeria. Buildings get burnt down on regular basis, passengers die in road traffic accidents almost on daily basis, workers get injured in factory accidents very regularly.”
“All these are loses already foreseen by our legislators who pro-actively promulgated the relevant laws to compensate the innocent citizens who may become dead, paralyzed or lose their properties as a result of the negligence of our fellow citizens or the materialization of disasters like Fire, Flood, Storm, Earthquake or Collapse of Buildings,” she said.
Hajia Ciroma therefore urged the people of the South East zone to embrace the good initiative provided by NAICOM to enable them benefit maximally from the scheme.
Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Mr. Fola Daniel said they were in the zone to create awareness on the programmes of the present insurance industries in the country and make them more acceptable by the people, explaining that the present insurance business in the country was a departure from what it used to be.
He said that insurance had become a big business involving millions of naira to establish and run, adding that the sensitization programme would cover five major areas of insurance business namely Occupiers’ Liability (Public Building)
Insurance, Medical Professional Liability Insurance, Group Life Insurance, Motor
Third-Party Liability and Builders’ Liability insurance.
He frowned at the attitudes of some touts that issue insurance document at motor
parks instead of insurance offices warning such people to desist from such
unlawful practices as the law would soon catch up with them.
