From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
Economic experts have urged
Nigerians to procure different classes of insurance, which can easily be accessed via the digital space, as driven by the Information Communications Technology (ICT) players.
There is no longer an excuse for any person or company not to be covered, according to Mr. Odunayo Bammeke, an insurance consultant as Nigerians can now easily register for insurance services via their mobile phones, notify for claims, and even upload evidence of disasters as they are happening for their insurance companies to see.
Speaking at the retreat of the Nigeria Council of registered insurance brokers (NCRIB), recently in Abuja, he said: “a lot of insurance people and broking companies are offering services that you can access on your mobile phone, you can notify a claim on your phone, you can upload photographs of the accident you can do a lot of things and then because of that, it increases the speed by which the back end office is also able to attend to those claims.
Also speaking, the Chairman of Abuja Area Committee of NCRIB Abbas Owolabi, bemoaned the fact that over time, Nigerians have taken insurance coverage for granted due to a variety of reasons, including previous experiences.
He pointed out that this is what prompted various insurance providers to turn to educating the populace, particularly given that the country’s economy is more technology oriented.
“insurance brokers want Nigerians to take advantage of technology to insure their asset as it is safer for all” Owolabi stated.
Past president of NCRIB, Dr (Mrs) Bola Onigbogi, on her part, explained that the more people insure their asset, the more the economy will grown and reduce liabilities on the government.
“If you see the markets now, when there is fire they will now be crying to government to come and assist them whereas, if there was insurance, the insurance company will swing into action.” She said
Mr. Ekerete Ola Gam-Ikon an insurance expert and Founder, Finterate Project Nigeria urged the Nigerian government to raise awareness of insurance and educate citizens about the need of having coverage
According to him, “The Nigeria Insurance Commission has a data bank, whereby, as you are processing your business, it goes to them and they will be seeing it there. So, if you do not insure those businesses, if anything happens, you are on your own. It is incumbent of the government to tell market people to go and do insurance. When they do, when there is claim, insurance will be paid. So my take is, people should go and do insurance because it is very good now.”
