Follow Us on Google
By Henry Uche
Old Mutual Benefits Assurance would on Saturday June 4th, face AXA Mansard in a final football competition put together by Association of Registered Insurance Agents of Nigeria (ARIAN) at Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre sports centre in Oshodi, Lagos.
Being the maiden edition of ARIAN’s Cup, the football competition saw seven (7) registered insurance firms participating in the tournament thus: Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc, Universal Insurance Plc, AXA Mansard Insurance, Tangerines Insurance Company, Prudential Life Assurance Company, American International Insurance Company (AIICO) and Zenith General Insurance Company.
The third place position will be determined between Team AIICO Insurance and Team Tangerines Life same day before the Champion is determined.
At a press brief in Lagos, ARIAN president, Kunle Odewunmi, revealed that the exercise which kicked off in May 14th, was designed to create mutual bonding among operators and players in the insurance industry.
ARIAN’s President congratulated the four remaining teams for making history. He expressed his satisfaction for the professional ways they conducted themselves during the tournament.
“This is the debut and we know that body exercise is very essential for healthy living. This outing will strengthen our relationship and mutual understanding, and help us fix our challenges. If we can make time play together joyfully, which means we can sit together and get the job of insurance done too in a mutually beneficial manner. I enjoined others to embrace such opportunities next season,” he implored.
The Chairman of the committee of the Tournament who also doubled as the ARIAN’s National Social Secretary, Comrade Mayowa Olatubosun, said he was encouraged by the sportsmen’s ability to apply basic FIFA rules of Fair Play.
“The event which is to commemorate 22nd founder years of ARIAN. We believe this will not only foster unity among us, but will also promote harmonious relationships between all the Principals and their Agents in the Insurance Industry in Nigeria,” he maintained.
In the opening and knock out stages, AXA Mansard beat Universal Insurance 2-0, while Zenith Insurance fell 1-2 to Tangerine Life. In the third match, Prudential Zenith Life Insurance fell 1-0 to AIICO Insurance.
In the next set of matches, Prudential Zenith Life Insurance lost their second match, 3-1 to Mutual benefits Assurance while AXA Mansard and Tangerine Life battled to a 2-2 draw. Zenith Insurance recovered from their earlier loss by beating Universal Insurance 2-0.
Next was the barren draw outing of AIICO Insurance and Mutual Benefits Assurance before the semi-finals encounters of AXA Mansard versus AIICO Insurance and that of Mutual Benefits Assurance facing Tangerine Life.
The first semi final match finished 1-1 after extra time and had to be decided by penalty shoot-out which AXA won by 4-3. The other semi-final match was equally crunchy, but Mutual Benefits beat Tangerine Life 1-0.
