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By Henry Uche, [email protected]
The Corporate Affairs Managers Committee of the Nigerian Insurers Association (CAMCONIA), a body of corporate affairs, marketing communication and public relations experts saddled with the responsibility of projecting the image of insurance business to the public, now has a new Chairman, Mr Segun Bankole.
The new leader has assured of operating within set rules so that the gains of insurance are positively projected, while the acidic myths and lies about the sector are scrubbed off the psyche of the public.
In this interview, the new CAMCONIA Chairman pledges to mend fractured in-house and external relationships so the body becomes a unified, formidable force that will take the insurance sector to the next level.
Targets
We want to ensure that Corporate Affairs Managers of Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) have a voice going forward. We want to tell the story of insurance in a better way. We want to make the position of corporate affairs & communication/marketing communications personnel more relevant. We want everyone especially the government to know that insurance is a very viable and vital sector in the financial space. To let everyone know that insurance is a pivotal part of everyone’s life, life or non-life. And I expect all hands to be on deck to achieve our set objectives.
We would take insurance to those at the upper echelon of authority. I will love to revive the annual CAMCONIA retreat where we shall have other experts from other sectors come on board to tell us how we can collaborate for the overall good of the country.
We shall strengthen the im-age of CAMCONIA in the Insurance industry in the country; ensure that Heads of Insurance companies see the value of corporate communica-tions in their organizations; and take a place of relevance in industry-relat-ed activities that will help enhance the Association’s contributions to the growth of the insurance industry.
We shall foster a good rela-tionship with all industry-related par-ties such as the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN), Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Bro-kers (NCRIB), Nigeria Insurers Association (NIA) and the regulator, the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), as well as the media community. The welfare of CAMCONIA members shall also be given due priority. Collaboration with all stakeholders is equally key. The media as a critical stakeholder is urged to support us in promoting the sector.
On the cards is also the plan to revive the ‘Catch them young” project where we take the campaign to secondary schools to make school leavers know that insurance is not a stop-gap option but a veritable course of study, a discipline one can be proud of. We have organizations we work with which distributes simple insurance literature to make them begin to know more about insurance. We do this during our annual insurance work.
Understanding insurance
We shall be at the Vanguard of propagating the message of insurance. Everything is not just technical, there is the social aspect of insurance and that is why we want to relate with people. We shall deploy every avenue and opportunities to change the perception, most times the ugly narrative of insurance. People must know better – the accurate information about insurance. Among us are fine writers, so we would be coming to share those knowledge.
Insurance education & awareness
Yes, we understand insurance is being taught in most secondary schools now, but most insurance teachers are not experts in the field, but then to get professionals to teach insurance requires every hands to be on deck. CIIN is already doing something good. But we should go beyond issuing certificates to insurance graduates just to enhance their performance. We need to come to the grassroots. We need more institutions like the College of Insurance And financial Management. Everybody including (CIIN, CIFM, NCRIB, NIA) and others should come together. Beyond premiums, what other values are we giving to the society, we should ask? I know many students of insurance today in different universities are not really happy studying insurance because they never opted for it initially, so when the passion is not there from the beginning, it won’t really augur well. So, we need to make the younger ones love insurance. Though I studied Theater Arts, but then that knowledge is helping me today in terms of communication, design, concept and the rest.
New Ideas and innovation
We are coming up with a product called ‘Enhance third Party Product” which is an extension of the third party Insurance. The difference is you know in third party, only the third party get compensated, but in enhanced package, both the third party and the insured get compensated. Here the third party get not less than, and not above N3 Million when you have an accident and all that, while the insured gets N500,000, and the premium is just N25,000 on a yearly basis. So, instead of me doing N15,000 for just third party and at the end of the day it’s only the third party that gets compensated, why not add N10,000 and get more (N500,000). So, you can imagine the gain for the policyholder. We’re also redefining travel insurance.. We are in collaboration with a company called Pay You, and we came up with the idea of ‘Pay As You Use’ comprehensive motor insurance. It’s for people who cannot do compressive but decided to do ‘pay as you drive’ because not everyone has the capacity to do comprehensive coverage. So here, once you’re on the road, your insurance is active, but when you park your car, your insurance stops. So, you can actually determine how much you pay for insurance. It’s compressive but it’s done in a retail fashion.
We need to do more of tell tell tell.. we need to tell Nigerians what insurance is actually. Thank for IFRS 17, we have set machinery in place and sent some of our financial and IT personnel abroad to learn more about it and understand the new financial reporting system introduced in the sector.
Anchor
We shall stand on ethical behavior and uphold sound corporate governance. We have challenges but then we can’t allow those to becloud or overwhelm our sense of focus. I took over managing this brand 17 years ago when I joined the company in November 5, 2007. So we’re not sacrificing the virtues and values we have learnt over the years, in any guise.
Legacy
I want to leave a robust CAMCONIA. I want to see that the dreams of our progenitors come through. I want to be that man who came, saw and conquered. We want to have a constant engagement and communication with the insuring public. I want to leave CAMCONIA after two years tenure fulfilled. I want to look back and see the committee members and more importantly, very happy with my administration. I want everyone to smile when everyone reminisces on how we triumphed.
