From left: Publisher Inspenonline, Chuks Udo Okonta receiving the ARIAN 2016 Journalist of the year Award and President, ARIAN Gbadebo at the event.
ADDRESS DELIVERED BY THE NATIONAL PRESIDENT, GBADEBO OLAMERUN OF THE ASSOCIATION OF REGISTERED INSURANCE AGENTS OF NIGERIA (ARIAN) ON THE 7TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE, AGM AND AWARD CEREMONY, ON WEDNESDAY, 7TH DECEMBER 2016, HELD AT NIGERIA AIR FORCE CENTRE, NO. 1, KOFO ABAYOMI STREET, VICTORIA ISLAND, LAGOS.
The Honourable Commissioner for Insurance,
Director General of Insurance Industry,
Managing Directors,
Colleagues in the Industry,
Gentlemen of the press,
Distinguished Ladies and gentlemen.
It’s 6am in the morning and privilegedly I am thinking through the future of the insurance industry and the role of an insurance agent as a major stakeholder to develop nurture and grow the insurance business to a place of repute. The journey of the past 3 years has indeed being very eventful filled with lots of challenges, new initiatives, creating new all-risen, demonstrating the real power of an insurance agent by increasing our relevancy in the market place and above all the appreciations we got for contributions of outstanding results to the insurance Industry.
Collectively, we have a huge task ahead of us to create a brand image and an institution, agents unborn will live to see the exploits of our forefathers and our privileged contributions now. I am sure it is no longer a news that I said this statement in 2014 and I am re-echoing it again that very shortly an agent will be the Commissioner for Insurance and it will be a country of an insurance sector where everything will work and the industry will move to its desired cloud where great mindsand kings dine and wine.
Dear Colleagues you can’t do today’s job with yesterday’s strategies and still be in business tomrrrow. The dynamics of our business climate is gradually changing where everything that matters in the cloud, the internet and social media campaign is gradually building multi-billion naira organization with their skyscraper headoffice solely built in the cloud without any physical office. I have a daughter in this audience today named Omolola Omogoye who brought a whooping 70million naira insurance premium in one transaction and this transaction was closed through Facebook platform from someone she has never met from Adam’s. I can imagine how many busstops she has to pass through to meet this man if Facebook was a street in Lagos.
In a nut shell, the business is changing and if you want to maintain our relevancy in the Industry, we must research more, increase our appetite for knowledge by becoming a professional in the Industry and a taste of great ambition. I urge us to be the only reliable and relevant stakeholder to move the industry to its next level because retail business is the only access that can grow the industry. For us, the people initiative is a greatest asset as an institution for the insurance industry. In the past three years we have being able to raise the bar and attract the first class citizens of Nigeria to the coffers of the association e.g His Excellence the Governor of Lagos State and Ondo State and their commissioners, head of ministries, captains of industries etc.
2. Increase the insurance awareness
3. Increase our membership strength
4. To create more chapters
5. Reduce fake agents and increasing the license NAICOM agents
6. Creation of new initiative e.g ARIAN Children’s Education Initiative
7.Recipient of four distinguished award in the past three years
8. Introduction of ARIAN black book to deter erring members
9. Increase relevancy in the Industry and lot more.
In the next 365 days, the association we shall be building more strategic relationship that will aid our activities as an insurance industry and to God be the Glory, we ha e also being able increase our financial to enable us acquire our own secretariat and more importantly, by the first quarter of 2017, we shall be launching the acquisition of ARIAN ESTATE in Ikorodu and Ibeju Lekki where members can take advantage of the housing challenges in Nigeria and likewise launch a cooperative society to help support and grow the lines of insurance agent.
Award ceremony
Today’s followers are the leaders of tomorrow. I congratulate all the Recipient of our award, the 2016 ARIAN MAN OF THE YEAR AWARD, the 2016 ARIAN CEO OF THE YEAR AWARD and most especially the 2016 BEST PERFORMING AGENT AND THEIR AGENCIES, I say a double congration to you all.
For an individual to do a business of over 300million naira in a 12 month calendar, is no longer a small business but an image business for the future. This figure an agent as being able to produce in one year are the annual turnovers of many big brands we see in other sectors in Nigeria. So I am proud to be a RISK ADVISOR and I congratulate all the winners of today’s award.
We shall be introducing one more category for the 2016 accounting year at the 2017 national conference, the category of the best performing unit manager and a gift award for the best performing agent maybe going home with a brand new car or a trip aboard or a gift worth mentioning at the 2017 national conference.
CIIN Proficiency Test/NAICOM ARIAN Unit Manager Training
This event could not hold because of the lead supporting partner (NAICOM) which they successfully hosted for us in 2015 but could not happen this year and I don’t want to believe it is recession but we lack the political will to execute this progressive and educative initiative. However, we tender our profound apology to our members who registered for the event.
CIIN as an education institution of the insurance industry through its CIPM arm as tightened the free flow of insurance agent for the proficiency test certification. It is extremely distracting that my members are gradually losing their patient for a demonstration that is close to happen anytime soon.
The institute is met to aid and not to be strict to the other arm of the industry in order to achieve his own aim and objective. We therefore say no to this unjust and unconsiderate of the CIPM Rector who has practically reduce the numbers of registered members as NAICOM License agent and we also write an open letter to our institute to review the amount of the profiencieny test certification from 12500naira to 5000naira which will enable ARIAN as a key state holder mobilize its member to register in mass and increase the number of NAICOM registered agent.
I want to appreciate Mr Phillip Bower ACII from the UK, Mrs Genevieve Mbama from Oracle, Mr Eizu Uwaoma of Hexavia business school and my mentor Mr. O.S Thomas for their support and believing in the ARIAN Initiative and most especially my members the Nigerian Insurance Agent for believing in me and my executive. I say thank you and God bless you all
