As part of its efforts to strengthen the relevance of insurance profession and create more awareness to correct the blurred perception of insurance by Nigerians, the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN) has said that it would be initiating the insurance and governmental relations to promote insurance awareness among the three tiers of government in the country.
The President of CIIN, Mr. Wole Adetimehin, who disclosed this at a workshop organised for journalists in Ibadan, Oyo State recently said efforts were also being made to enhance the quality of insurance education in the country.
Adetimehin noted that concerted efforts would be made towards the development and completion of the institute’s College of Insurance and Financial Management.
He decried the negative perception of the insurance profession by the insurable public, adding that the blurred perception of insurance practitioners and the industry needed to be laundered.
“There is need for a reawakening to ensure the continued sustenance of the insurance profession, we must all come together to ward-off the encroachment into the core areas of insurance practice. Evidence abound that insurance services are being rendered by bodies without professional training and experience. This is a trend that threatens the soul of our profession,” Adetimehin said.
He disclosed that the CIIN was planning to institute a Nigeria Insurance Annual Award to honour those who have excelled in the profession or who have contributed significantly to the development of insurance over the years which according to him,adding that there could not be a better time to accord more recognition to deserving professionals in the industry, if the up and coming generations in the insurance profession have to be inspired.
Adetimehin disclosed that plans were underway to establish the Insurance Industry Consultative Forum(IICF) so that the operators in the nation’s insurance industry could be speaking with one voice on issues affecting them.
He said the move was part of efforts to reposition the insurance profession in the country to ensure the continued relevance of the profession and the practitioners in the economy.
“The body will be solely to promote the insurance industry’s unified goals, inter government regulatory understanding and development. The forum will be under the chairmanship of the commissioner for insurance while membership will encompass all the various arms of the industry,”he said.
Adetimehin noted that the proposed consultative forum would be meeting on a quarterly basis to discuss and resolve industry issues, while also initiating agenda that would propel future growth of the industry.
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