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Chuks Udo Okonta
Finally, invitation has been extended to the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN) to partake in the review of the Insurance (consolidated) bill which committee would be inaugurated from 2:00 PM today in Abuja.
Inspen gathered that whilst the CIIN was re-considered, having been left-out initially, the Association of Registered Insurance Agents of Nigeria (ARIAN) which made frantic efforts to participate in the review was not considered.
It was also learnt that insurance guru, Professor Joe Irukwu was not invited to join the committee, in spite his contributions to the insurance industry.
The Committee is to be chaired by Dr. Omogbai- Omo Eboh, a renowned expert in Insurance Law, while Dr. Talmiz Usman (Head of Legal Department, NAICOM is the Secretary.
Other members of the committee include a representative of the Ministry of Finance; a representative of the National Insurance Commission; a representative of Nigeria Insurers’ Association (NIA), and a representative of Nigeria Council of Registered Insurance Brokers.
Members of the committee also include a representative of the Institute of Loss Adjusters of Nigeria; a representative of the Attorney General of the Federation; Kamar Raji and Dr. Ladi Hamalai of the National Institute of Legal Studies.
The Minister of Finance Mrs Kemi Adeosu said the activities of the Review Committee would be fully funded by the National Insurance Commission, which is the statutory agency of the federal government established to regulate and supervise the Nigerian insurance sector.
According to the minister, the terms of reference of the review committee include a critical review of the draft Insurance (Consolidated) Bill, with a view to making it a framework or principle-based legislation; a comparative review of the bill to align it with the powers of other financial regulators in the country as well as a thorough examination of current market problems and recommendation of appropriate regulatory powers to allow the insurance regulator act appropriately.
The review committee is to undertake a review of all other insurance laws and update the draft Insurance (Consolidated) Bill to align with international best practices.
The committee is also to make other recommendations as it deems fit for the overall interest of the nation’s insurance industry.
