Police asked to prioritise insurance as force undergoes restructuring
By ROSEMARY ONUOHA
As expectations of an impending major restructuring and reorganisation in the Nigerian Police Force heightens following the retirement of Hafiz Ringim as the Inspector General of Police, the new IGP, Mohammed Abubakar has been charged to include comprehensive insurance packages for men and women of the force in the intended restructuring process.
This is hinged on the notion that knowing that adequate insurance packages are in place will enhance the commitment of police officers towards the discharge of their duties because lack of commitment has been identified as the bane of the police profession.
Barrister Laide Osijo, president of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers, NCRIB, who made this assertion to Vanguard said that insurance is cardinal when considering options on how to safeguard lives and property of security personnel.
She said “The task of policing the society at this crucial period comes with its attendant risks which are better mitigated using risk management and transfer mechanism, of which insurance is cardinal.”
Against the backdrop of current security challenges confronting the nation, Osijo noted that there should be a new thinking on how individuals, government and other corporate institutions could better safeguard lives and property using insurance.
The NCRIB president however commended the Akwa Ibom state government for its plans to introduce insurance scheme for its newly launched police-military security task force, code- named “Operation Thunder.”
Osijo who reacted to the statement credited to the Governor of Akwa Ibom state on the insurance plan as a way of covering the hazards incidental to the performance of the security outfit enjoined other state governments with similar out fits to emulate the progressive policy of the state government.
The NCRIB President made a case for the utilisation of the services of registered insurance brokers for insurances, in view of their diverse knowledge of the insurance industry which they avail their clients in helping them to maximise their insurances at competitive costs.
‘’Aside from ethical standards which registered insurance brokers adhere to, clients also benefit from their services in terms of robust professional advise they render to their clients who engage them”, Osijo said.
The President also appealed to government institutions to always factor in provisions for insurance of the assets in the yearly budgets in order to safeguard such assets and reduce the incidence of unpaid premiums by such institutions.
