By FRANCIS EWHERIDO 

The Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers, NCRIB, reached another milestone today when Mrs. Ekeoma Ezeibe, erstwhile deputy president, was installed as the 23rd President of NCRIB, the third woman to achieve that feat. Her foray into insurance started in Nigeria Reinsurance Corporation, Nigeria Re, during her National Youth Service Corps in 1987/1988, where she worked in the legal department. She was retained after her NYSC. That marked the beginning of a remarkable career in insurance for the past 38 years.

In 1991, she moved to Liberty Assurance Company Limited as the company secretary/legal adviser and head of claims department. In 1992, she was on the move again to Industrial and General Insurance Company Limited, IGI, as its pioneer company secretary/legal adviser. Mrs. Ezeibe has worked under some of the best brains in the insurance industry who doubled as her mentors. She later co-founded Crystal Trust Insurance Brokers Limited with her husband, Prince Azubuike Ezeibe, and became its managing director/CEO, a position she occupies till date. 

You do not emerge the President of NCRIB overnight. You pay your dues and Mrs. Ezeibe has surely paid her dues. Before  emerging as NCRIB President, Ezeibe was honorary treasurer of the NCRIB from 2017 to 2019, vice president from 2021 to 2023 and deputy president from 2023 until her emergence as president today. She has also held other positions or performed other tasks at NCRIB –  governing board member for the past 13 years and served in the following committees: events organising for three years with two years as the chairman, charter implementation committee for 13 years, government liaison officer for eight years, investigation panel member for 11 years with four years as its vice chairman, membership and registration committee for 10 years with two years as the chairman as well as chairman, micro insurance and takaful for four years, election screening committee for three years, chairman, NAICOM Help Desk/Help Desk for eight years, deputy chairman, audit committee for two years; finance and general purpose committee for four years with two years as the deputy chairman and member, management committee for six years.

She equally served in the following ad-hoc committees of the NCRIB: 50th anniversary/compendium launch in 2011/2012, review of staff handbook in 2011/2012, legal assessor to the disciplinary tribunal, 2011/2012; investiture committee of the 17th president, chairman of the 19th president investiture committee and chairman, finance sub-committee of the 20th    president investiture; member, micro-insurance working group, MIWG, of Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access, EFInA; member, Insurance Consolidated Bill, 2016; Chairman, Insurance Consolidated Bill, 2020 and 2023 and Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Bill, 2024 till it was signed into law. 

At the Professional Insurance Ladies Association, PILA, she was the book reviewer of The Pillar: Evolution, Trends and Development of PILA at its launch in 2018. She served/serves as a member of the constitution review committee in 2018 and constitution regulation committee set up in 2019, a member of the electoral committee for four years from 2020 to 2024, Chairman, 50th Anniversary Book Committee that saw to the publishing of Modern Insurance Practice – A textbook for tertiary institutions.

At the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria, CIIN, she served and serves in the following committees: 2020 Electoral Committee, Investitures of the 50th, 51st and 52nd presidents, education committee member from 2022 till date, enabling law review from 2022 till date. 

Mrs. Ezeibe is the Chairman of the Nigerian Insurance Industry Committee on African Continental Free Trade Agreement, NII-AfCFTA Committee. At the continental level and at the African Insurance Brokers’ Association, AIBA, she served as secretary from 2022 to 2024, treasurer from 2024 to 2025 and currently, its Vice Chairman where she made history as the first woman to occupy the position.

She was a member of the Constitution Drafting Committee that established the Africa Insurance Women Association, AIWA, of which she is a member and equally conducted the passing of the resolution that legally set up the body. Ezeibe is also a member of the Insurance Committee of the International Chamber of Shipping, London, United Kingdom.

Mrs. Ezeibe (then Miss Ekeoma Obi) studied law at the Imo State University, now Abia State University. She obtained her Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degree   and proceeded to the Nigerian Law School, Lagos, where she obtained her Barrister at Law, B.L, and was called to the Nigerian Bar a year later. She went on to obtain her Master of Law, LL.M, degree from the University of Lagos.

The bug of insurance bit her and having entered the insurance industry as a lawyer, she had to take tortuous path to be reckoned with in the insurance profession. She has since gone on to obtain her insurance professional qualifications. She is an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute, ACII, London, with distinctions in claims practice and advances in strategic risk management. She’s an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria, AIIN, and she is currently a Fellow, Council of Registered Insurance Brokers, FCIB. She is one of those insurance professionals with the capacity to shoot effectively with both feet: She is an accomplished lawyer and chartered insurance professional.

The insurance industry has been a great beneficiary of her legal and insurance prowess. Over the years, she has given more than 40 pro bono lectures on diverse topics in law, regulation, compliance and insurance across all platforms in the insurance industry.

She is an award-winning lecturer at the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping where she has taught different topics on marine insurance in the past 14 years. So far, I have not bothered to describe Mrs. Ezeibe as a go-getter and an intellectual powerhouse, a beauty and brains because “res ipsa loquitur (the thing speaks for itself).”

At a personal level, Mrs. Ezeibe is married to Prince Azubuike Ezeibe and they are blessed with children and grandchildren. Mrs. Ezeibe comes from a closely-knit royal family of strict parents and eight children. She is a personal friend, although we call each other inlaw for the promise of a wife that was never fulfilled. 

That wasn’t her fault because my supposed wife-to-be was still about four years old when I got married. Mrs. Ezeibe and I met through a mutual friend in 1993 before we became colleagues at Industrial and General Insurance in 1994. 

Having known Mrs. Ezeibe for 32 years I have no doubt that she will take the NCRIB to greater heights. I have only one personal request. Please install a lift(elevator) in the NCRIB Secretariat. It is an anomaly that a secretariat of four floors has no lift. Older members, physically challenged members and members with health challenges need it to be able to access the secretariat, especially the upper floors stress-free, and participate actively in NCRIB activities. 

Congratulations, madam president.

Francis Ewherido is the MD/CEO of Titan Insurance Brokers Limited and Saturday Vanguard Columnist