Yemisi Izuora
The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, has stressed he importance of embracing life insurance policy by Nigerians as part of measures to build strong economic plan for the future.
Adeosun made this known at the third National Conference of the National Association of Insurance and Pension Correspondents (NAIPCO) held in Lagos. This year’s conference has the theme “The Role of Stake Holders in Developing Insurance & Pension Sectors.
The Minister, represented by the Deputy Commissioner for Insurance, Finance and Admin, George Onekhena said life insurance holds the key to wise financial planning and is panacea for poverty alleviation among Nigerians at all levels including grass root dwellers.
She urge Nigerians not to neglect life insurance, even as it is a common habit, noting that this is equal to building one’s foundation on a shallow ground.
She stated that they should rather adding make enquiries on the particular life insurance they want to buy as well as how to go about it.
She also said that those in doubt could engage the service of
insurance brokers for professional insurance advise, adding that this has become necessary because no body knows the day of his death and it will be disastrous for anyone to leave
dependents without benefits.
She said: “Every Nigerian buys one house hold item or the other at any time and you don’t enter the market and start making your purchases.
“You make enquiries before going to market, in like manner, in your life insurance decisions, you can take time to ask questions
on the life insurance policy you want to buy, no body knows the day of his death so life insurance is critical, life insurance is foundation to every wise financial planning”, she stated.
Speaking on the challenge facing insurance and pension operators in Nigeria, she said people hardly tell the public when they get benefit from these two sectors citing instance of quantum of retirement benefits paid on monthly basis by Pension Fund Administrators(PFAs)
to retirees and quantum of claims paid in a year by insurance firms.
NAIPCO conference is the only forum that brings both pension and insurance operators, their regulators and stakeholders together to discuss their affairs.
The conference played a key role in settling the crisis that arose last year between the two sectors in Annuity administration and management.