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Chuks Udo Okonta
A student of Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Kwara State Badmus Waliyat Olaide, has emerged top winner and taking home a sum of N500,000, in the Consolidated Hallmark Insurance Limited Annual Essay Competition.
This is even as top three in each internal and external categories have emerged in the 13th edition of the competition, which held at the weekend in Ikeja, Lagos.
The event which was graced by stakeholders in the insurance sector, was applauded, whilst the stakeholders promised support to the annual essay competition, hoping to leverage it to deepen insurance education and awareness in the country.
For this year’s competition in the external category, Badmus Waliyat Olaide from Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Kwara State was the winner, taking home a sum of N500,000, while Nzeocha Gift Omoga from Imo State University came 1st Runners’ Up as Hassan Jamiu Temitope also from The Federal Polytechnic Offa like the winner, came 2nd Runners Up.
For the External Category, the wrote on: “Continuous devaluation of Naira and the resultant rate of inflation – effect on Insurance business in Nigeria”.
For the Internal Category, they were asked to write on Essay Topic: “Challenges and solutions to brain drain in the Insurance sector in Nigeria”.
Speaking on the philosophy behind the initiative, the managing director/CEO,, CHI Limited, Mrs. Mary Adeyanju, noted that, in the last 13 years, the award has produced winners who have gone on to either work for Consolidated Hallmark or elsewhere in the insurance industry and we’re good ambassador in their respective spheres of life.
She said this had become a major Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) of the company as it is contributing to skills development in an insurance industry that is currently witnessing dearth of skilled personnel.
She charged the winners to see their future in insurance industry as the sector gives room for professional development and pays well for whoever chooses insurance as a profession.
Earlier, the president of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria(CIIN), Mrs. Yetunde Ilori commended the company and the initiator of the project, stating that, insurance education is central to the future of the industry, hence, grooming talents who will take over the mantle of leadership in the future, is a collective responsibility of all of which CHI is taking the lead.
This, she added, coincides with her core mandate in CIIN, as the educational body of the industry, promising to continue to offer support to the company individually and and as a body in this regard.
Similarly, the Director General of Nigerian Insurers Association(NIA), Mrs. also applauded the initiative while offering her hand of fellowship and that of the association she presides over.
Similarly, the president of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB), Prince Babatunde Oguntade, promised that her council will sponsor a gift prize in the next edition of the competition next year.
The initiator of the competition, who started it as the ceo of CHI then but now the group managing director of Consolidated Hallmark Holdings(CHH), Eddie Efekoha, said, he was elated that the project he started continues to live on and it’s even getting better after he left the company, stating that, his dream was to ensure that the competition becomes a household project in the industry. As a former lecturer and an educationist, he said, this project is so dear to him in a move to not only fill the void left by dearth of skilled personal in the industry but as well enhances and increase insurance education and awareness in the industry.
