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Chiamaka Ajeamo
Following the Federal Government’s failure to promptly pay the insurance premium for Group Life policies for officers of security agencies, the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) has appealed to the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) to grant it waiver to to allow them provide cover for their workforce.
The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, made this appeal at the 2019 Annual Interactive Session with Consumers of Insurance Products, organised by NAICOM in Lagos.
Adamu, who was represented by Deputy Commissioner for Police, Abdul Suleiman Abdul, stated that the Group Life for police officers elapsed in June 2019, an indication that families of officers that died since the cover elapsed cannot claim any insurance benefits.
He also urged insurance firms to participate in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and leverage it to educate securities personnel on health issues as well as implement capacity building for officers, emphasising that such measures would help boost the lifetime of the officers and lessen claims payment.
He also appealed to insurance companies to include scholarships to their CSR so as so assist the children and wards of deceased security officers, while tasking insurers to live up to their responsibilities in settling all outstanding claims of deceased police officers.
However, data collected from the Nigeria Insurance Digest 2017, published by the Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA), disclosed that some insurance companies paid over N328.74 million group life claims to Nigeria Police to deceased officers who might have died in service.
According to the data from the publication, the amount was paid in 2017 by three life insurers; Custodian Life Assurance Limited; Mutual Benefits Assurance Life Assurance Company Limited and FBNInsurance Limited.
Speaking at the event on a paper: ‘Prompt Claims Settlement: Issues and challenges, the Chairman, Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) Tope Smart, whilst urging the consumers to take advantage of conflict resolutions bodies set up by the industry to resolve all unpaid claims issues, added that insurance companies in 2018 paid a total claims of N207.44 billion.
Tope noted that claims stands as a fundamental part of insurance and the policy purchased by consumers is a promise of compensation when things go wrong, as long as the circumstances fall within the policy’s terms and conditions.
“Consumers are expected to lodge a claim to activate the insurer’s response. If your claim is genuine, the insurer will fulfill the promise it made in the policy”, he said.
He stated that as part of efforts by the NIA to guarantee the public are not denied claims, established a complaints bureau, adding that the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) also has a bureau for settlement of claims disputes.
