By NGOZI Onyeakusi

 

Immediate CIIN Past President, Lady Isioma Chukwuma decorates Mrs Funmi Babington-Ashaye with the insignia of office as the CIIN President in the presence of previous Past Presidents of the Institute.

The new President of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN) Mrs Funmilayo Babington-Ashaye, has reiterated her resolve to educate and enlighten Nigerians as part of her agenda while in office.

Mrs Babington-Ashaye, delivering acceptance speech on the occasion of her investiture as the 48th president and chairman of the Council of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria in Lagos, said her tenure will make insurance awareness and enlightenment a common issue to be driven by all stakeholders in their various domains.

According to her, “The only way to educate the Nigeria public is through enlightenment which is best achieved when every practitioner is made an ambassador of the Industry. I have in preparation for my tenure engaged some of my professional colleagues to transform my thoughts into achievable programmes.”

The potential of this approach, according to her will be achieved through regular advocacy, professional development, enhanced insurance awareness, continued efforts on institute’s buildings and reorganisation of the secretariat.

The president said during her tenure, regular advocacy and press releases on the role of insurance in the security of lives, property and wealth creation will be employed to drive public awareness of insurance and help to rebuild the public confidence and trust.

She pledged to ensure that an Insurance E-Newsletter on regular basis to disseminate information on emerging development in the Industry as a strategy for renewing the technical and professional knowledge of members would be published regularly.

“Also, International collaborations with similar professional bodies would be rejuvenated in order to offer the Institute and its members the opportunities to interface on global standards and the College of Insurance and Financial Management would be challenged to organise more relevant programmes in collaboration with other stakeholders in the industry, to provide qualitative education and training for persons engaged in the practice of insurance, provide consultancy services and undertake research,” she added.

As the president of CIIN, Babington-Ashaye also pledged to distribute Insurance Textbooks to Secondary Schools, Tertiary Institutions, States and National Libraries, engage Secondary School Students, undergraduates and new graduates through career fairs and provide the required assistance for the accreditation of at least two Insurance Departments in tertiary institutions to promote the study of Insurance, all in the effort to drive insurance awareness.

On completion of uncompleted projects, Babington-Ashaye said, “I am committed to resuscitate the development of the Institute’s building on Victoria Island and the renovation of the National Secretariat at Ebute-Metta.”

On reorganisation of the secretariat, the chairman of the council said, “The 2015 KPMG Report on the strategic action plan to reposition the Institute for relevance would be further implemented.