NCRIB celebrates at 60, moves to entrench insurance culture among youths

Insurance brokers in the country have stated their resolve to contribute more towards the ongoing efforts at deepening insurance penetration in Nigeria thus help entrench insurance as a way of life among Nigerians and the business community.

To this extent, the brokers said that they will design outreach programmes whereby they will relate more with secondary and tertiary institutions with the view to catching them young.

President of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB) Mr. Rotimi Edu who stated this in Lagos revealed of plans by the council to conduct what he called insurance open day for selected secondary schools in Lagos as part of activities to mark NCRIB’s 60th anniversary.

Besides, Mr Edu said that the council will also conduct insurance walk to promote insurance awareness and deepen penetration across the country.

According to him, NCRIB will institutionalize of awards in schools to catch the future providers and consumers of insurance

“There will be sports competition that would focus more on table tennis, lawn tennis and other sporting activities; presentation and launching of historical and membership compendium; anniversary lecture and exhibition as well as anniversary grand ball”, the president revealed while marshalling out programme of activities for the council’s 60th anniversary celebration.

Founded in 1962 and Nigerian Corporation of Insurance Brokers (NCIB), the body serves as an umbrella for all registered insurance brokers in the country with its membership put at about 500 comprising of individual and corporate members. NCRIB have produced 21 presidents since its inception.

Recalling events which culminated in the formation of an association for insurance brokers Mr Edu revealed that “after series of events and importation of foreign insurance Broking firms in Nigeria, it is worthy of note that T. A Braithwaite & Co. became the first indigenous insurance broking firm with its establishment in 1958. This later opened doors for other professionals and insurance broking firms to take advantage of the fledging insurance opportunities in the economy. Notable among those who came into existence at that time were Thomas Insurance Brokers established by Mr. J.A Thomas; J. Akin George & Co Limited by Chief John Akinwumi-George and African Underwriters Limited set up by Chief Sunny Odogwu. The growing need for professional and business collaboration amongst them led to the formation of Nigerian Corporation of Insurance Brokers in 1962, which today is known as the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers”

It was consequent upon these and many more that prompted Mr Edu to declare that “the anniversary celebrations would be an epochal and landmark event worthy of celebration in the annals of the Council. It is expedient for the Council to roll out drums in celebration of the anniversary as a way of appreciating the Almighty for the success story and our Past Presidents and members that have contributed immensely to the building and development of this great institution”

Worried about the poor image of the nation’s insurance practice occasioned by unprofessional acts the NCRIB president confessed that “the image of the Insurance Broker is still being smeared by some members who are not Brokers by training and certification, but masquerade as one. Our Council is not folding its arms to watch this charlatans who flagrantly disobey the law mandating them to be registered with the NCRIB before licensing by NAICOM to practice. Good enough, we have been able to excise more commitment from the Commission under the indefatigable Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Sunday Thomas to support this purging. More than ever before, the Commission has been quite complimentary to our course and we are most delighted for this.

Furthermore, our Council in a little while would be coming out with Professional Seal of Practice to be used by all Registered Insurance Brokers as we have in similar professions such as Law, Auditing, Architecture, etc. These seals would be affixed to all stationeries and printed materials of our members as a distinctive emblem of professional service and excellence and making our documents admissible as evidence in the Courts of Law”

Activities marking the 60th anniversary celebration of the NCRIB started with the unveiling of the anniversary mascot and Logo (OKIN) heralding the celebration just as series of activities have been lined up across the year.

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