By AbdulRaheem Aodu
Kaduna
The Kaduna state chapter of the Nigeria Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB) has expressed its readiness to carry out massive public awareness campaign to create insurance awareness and penetration.
Addressing a news conference in Kaduna, NCRIB state Chairman, Mr. Vincent Akinbami, said the goal was also to enlighten the public on the role of insurance brokers in the industry.
According to him, insurance consumers mainly have problems with their claims because they do not engage the services of insurance brokers.
“This is largely because most people are not aware of the existence of insurance brokers and their crucial role in the insurance industry, the industry has not gained full public acceptance with the exception of government and companies. We want to bridge such gap.”
Akinbami explained that brokers were supposed to act as intermediary between the insured and the insurance company for quality services. He, however, said that due to ignorance, people were bypassing brokers and dealing directly with the companies.
“In other countries, no insurance policy goes through without passing through a broker. You don’t need to pay a broker; just appoint a broker who will look into your existing policy and advise you accordingly. If you have claims, all you need to do is call the broker and he will follow it up for you.
“There is the need, therefore, to carry out massive awareness campaign to enlighten the general public on insurance services and the role of brokers,“ he said.
He also said that NCRIB would ensure that government and corporate organisations place their insurance policies only through registered brokers.
“We will equally set up a disciplinary committee that will attend to genuine complaints from the public against any broker and recommend appropriate disciplinary measures against unethical behaviour.”
