By Patience SAGHANA
Insurance chieftains are strongly lobbying to be voted into the Governing Council of the Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) come next week Wednesday at the 39th Annual General Meeting of the association as Mr Remi Olowude, Executive Vice-Chairman IGI

Olowude will lead three others to contest for three vacant Governing Council seats at the 39th NIA  AGM in Lagos next week.

Apart from the post of deputy chairman, other positions to be contested for  are: Honorary Assistant Treasurer and the Honorary  Treasurer.

Another major highlight of the Association’s 39th AGM will be the election of the investiture of Mr Olusola Ladipo-Ajayi, Managing Director of Lasaco Assurance Plc as the chairman of the Association.

Ladipo-Ajayi, will take over from the outgoing NIA chairman Mr Wole Oshin who has Mann the position for two years.
The three candidates who have filed their nominations for vacant positions as at Monday this week are: Mr Seun Ajai, Executive Chairman of Sovereign Trust Insurance, Mr Olorunnimbe Oviosu, Managing Director/CEO of Crusader General Insurance and Mr Top Smart, Managing Director/CEO. Wole Oshin was elected 24 months ago during the body’s 37th AGM.

In his acceptance speech as the association helmsman in 2008, Oshin outlined his agenda for the insurance industry through the NIA.

According to him; “Another area will be the issue of forging closer relationship with the government, especially at the federal level, that is, the executive and legislative arms. “We intend to initiate a series of meetings with the legislators as a way of bringing them closer to the industry to make them appreciate the value of insurance and give issues that concern insurance adequate attention in their legislative duties.”

He also said that the association would like to forge a strong alliance with NAICOM so that together we could take insurance to the next level by placing insurance in the front burner of national discourse.

Oshin promised to tackle obnoxious insurance laws that hinder the growth of the industry. “With the issue of recapitalisation now over, the insurance industry is inundated with a litany of legal issues which must be tackled headlong if member companies are to rep the benefits of the recapitalisation exercise. These include the obnoxious tax laws, workmen’s compensation, review of Insurance Act 2003.”

Other issues include enforcement of local content as it affects insurance business; enforcement of sections 64 and 65 of Insurance Act 2003  insurance of public buildings and buildings under construction; eradication of fake third party motor insurance certificate; implementation of section 9(3) of Pension Reform Act 2004 and enforcement of other compulsory insurances.

He continued: “Another cardinal objective of my tenure will be to strive to strength the income generating capacity of the association through sustained programmes such as the yearly insurance summit, workshops, seminars and conferences.”