By Henry Uche
Members of the chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN) and other critical stakeholders in the insurance sector would soon begin to experience improved service delivery from CIIN as the new president, Edwin Igbiti sets a three -points agenda to digitise its operations.
At his investiture as the 51st president/ chairman of council of the institute, Mr. Igbiti, who assured members of CIIN and other stakeholders to deliver best services geared towards sustaining the legacies of his predecessors and the aspirations of the founding Fathers of the Institute, said with the increasing dynamic world, characterised by uncertainty and volatility as evidenced with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tasks of insurance professionals is becoming more taxing.
According to him, insurance professionals ought not to lag in the face of global challenges but must continue to be at the frontiers of obvious technological innovations and trends in order to thrive and drive impact in their endeavours and ventures.
“We all must adapt and flow with the new order occasioned by the disruptions to our business and personal life leading to the fast digilisation that has made the world global village where information and innovation travel at a rapid speed. It is in this light that the theme and focus of my tenure will be “Building A Sustainable Legacy.”
The president maintained that the choice of the theme was borne out of the need for continuity to sustain and build on the works of Past Presidents of the Institute to enable the institute meet the dynamic needs and aspirations of its members despite current global uncertainties.
“Against this backdrop, my presidency is going to unlock the potential of this approach by focusing on a (3) three-point agenda.
“Digital Reinforcement of Institute’s Operations; Insurance Awareness for all – Grassroots, Youths and Insuring Public and Infrastructural Development and Infrastructural development,”
On Digital Reinforcement agenda, he revealed that completion of CIIN’s E-library project; commencement of E-Examinations and ensuring active presence and use of all available Social Media Platforms are sub- projects to achieve this agenda.
On Insurance Awareness for all– Grassroots, Youths and Insuring Public; he affirmed that positive upscaling of the Quiz for Secondary schools to national limelight; distribution of insurance textbooks to secondary schools; effective coordination of the train-the-trainer program for insurance secondary school teachers; deepening and Consolidating Youth empowerment and Mentorship Initiatives would be pursued vigorously to boost insurance awareness.
While renovating the Lagos Street Building to acceptable standards; getting necessary approvals and clearance from the Lagos State Government to resume the building of the Vctoria Island Project and significantly increasing the building fund as would be agreed with the building committee are smaller projects to meet its infrastructural development agenda.
“My predecessors strived to revamp the digital operations of the Institute, but we shall continuously upgrade and innovate our processes to deliver excellent customer experiences and members’ satisfaction.
“As the President of the CIIN, I have projected that my administration will facilitate the transformation of the CIIN Secretariat with the state-of-the-art facilities that would stimulate digital operations and processes, enhance excellent work culture which results in quality customer experiences in all our deliverables.” He added that Smart Technologies and digital solutions would be deployed to achieve his agenda with a viable business model.
“We have many programs on ground aimed at creating insurance awareness and training members to be world class insurance professionals, but collaboration is key. But more importantly, we must lend our voices in support to curb the menace of insecurity and other crimes with the aim of re-emphasising the essence of insurance as the infrastructural pillar for the growth and development of country,” he maintained.
Meanwhile, Igbiti’s immediate predecessor, Muftau O. Oyegunle, Felicitate him, however charged him not to relax yet, saying, “As you embark upon your new responsibilities, I urge you not to rest on your oars. The reward for success is more hard work. This office provides you another opportunity to employ your wealth of expertise to broaden the scope of the Institute and contribute hugely to the growth of the insurance industry.
Oyegunle confirmed that Igbiti has been a tenacious and rsilient leader and his reign would be beneficial to not only the Institute but other stakeholders. He posited that Igbiti’s trajectory of success in various positions and capacities occupied in the industry are proof for better days ahead.
The insurance professional added that the year (2021) ended on a positive note for the Institute as surplus was recorded in spite of the hurdles of Covid-19 pandemic and the national economic recession. Highlighting the accomplishments of his leadership, he asseverated that his administration achieved the set six- points agenda: Digital transformation of the institute; re-energising the institute’s administrative structure; reinforcement of the relevance of professionalism; insurance awareness and youth mentorship; infrastructural development and advocacy / collaboration with various associations in the private sector.
