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NAICOM Tasks New NCRIB President On Innovation, Professionalism
The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has urged the newly-inaugurated President of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB), Mrs Ekeoma Ezeibe, to lead the industry with innovation, professionalism, inclusion and trust.
The Commissioner for Insurance and Chief Executive Officer of NAICOM, Olusegun Omosehin, gave the charge at the investiture ceremony of Mrs Ezeibe as the 23rd President of NCRIB, held in Lagos.
Omosehin who highlighted three key imperatives that would shape the future of the industry: education, ethics and public confidence, urged the new NCRIB president to make them central to her agenda.
“Empower professionals through knowledge; uphold integrity and transparency; and build public confidence through consistent performance and fair practices.
“Perception and performance in insurance are inseparable. Trust grows when our actions meet stakeholders’ expectations,” he said.
Omosehin further advised brokers to evolve with the changing market environment by embracing client-focused advisory services, data-driven claims management and digital innovation.
“Brokers must move beyond product-driven solutions to client-first advisory roles.They should expand inclusion through affordable micro-insurance, leverage digital tools to cut costs and maintain high ethical standards,” he said.
The commissioner reiterated NAICOM’s commitment to fostering innovation, protecting policyholders and building public confidence.
He said the Commission would strengthen market conduct oversight to ensure transparency, fairness and value delivery, while also promoting digital transformation in the insurance space.
According to him, this would be through initiatives such as the electronic Know Your Customer (e-KYC), API-enabled placements and efficient claims portals.
Omosehin called for closer collaboration between NAICOM and the NCRIB in developing broker-led micro-insurance and takaful solutions, which, he said, would deepen penetration and financial inclusion.
He described Ezeibe’s emergence as the third female president in the Council’s 63-year history as a testament to her resilience, excellence and professionalism adding that her leadership marked a new chapter for the Nigerian insurance brokerage profession.
He commended the outgoing President, Prince Babatunde Oguntade, for his visionary leadership and the steady progress made under his tenure, particularly in promoting integrity and professionalism within the brokerage sector.
Also speaking, the outgone President of NCRIB, Prince Babatunde Oguntade, expressed gratitude to stakeholders in the insurance industry for their support throughout his tenure.
Oguntade commended the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) for providing the enabling environment that allowed the industry to thrive, as well as for its remarkable efforts in facilitating the signing of the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA) 2025 into law.
Responding after the investiture, Mrs Ezeibe expressed appreciation for the confidence reposed in her as the new President of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB).
She pledged that the Council would work closely with NAICOM to ensure the full implementation of the newly enacted Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA) 2025.
Ezeibe also assured that her administration would prioritise strengthening the NCRIB’s existing partnerships with other industry bodies and relevant organisations to advance the growth and credibility of the insurance sector.
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A boat accident in Bayelsa state has killed a serving Pastor, Wife and other church members along Brass waterways
The sad incident happened at Odioama in Brass local government area of Bayelsa State when the Pastor, wife and members of his church were in a programme.
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?Tide confirmed that the lifeless body of the Pastor’s wife has been found and deposited in a mortuary while the remains of her husband ,the Pastor is yet to be recovered
as search party are still ongoing.
Although the real cause of the boat Mishap is not yet known as at the time of this report, our Correspondent gathered that the identities of the Pastor, wife and church members were not disclosed to the public.
The mishap, Tide gathered occurred on Friday morning when the church members were on a boat transit
The Bayelsa State government and the state police command are yet to issue official statement’s on the sad accident
By: CHINEDU WOSU
The Rivers State Council of Nigeria Civil Service Union has called on the State Government to urgently scrap the contributory pension scheme, describing it as unfavourable to long-serving civil servants in the state.
Chairman of the union, Chukwuka Osuma, said this in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt, recently.
Osuma said the current pension structure has continued to worsen post-retirement hardship for workers.
He noted that the contributory pension scheme had failed to provide adequate retirement security for workers who had spent many years in service, especially those approaching retirement age.
According to him, civil servants who had served for more than 20 years were among the worst affected under the scheme, insisting that many retirees could no longer cope with prevailing economic realities.
He also informed that the Union has made moves to showcase their concerns, pleading with Governor Siminalayi Fubara to abolish the pension policy and introduce a more favourable arrangement for affected workers.
“The union was not opposed to pension reforms, the contributory scheme should only apply to newly employed workers or those with fewer years in service”, he said.
Osuma explained that workers who had already spent decades in the civil service ought to remain under a more secure pension structure capable of guaranteeing stability after retirement.
The labour leader further noted that inflation and the rising cost of living had continued to erode the value of retirement savings, thereby increasing the suffering of pensioners across the country.
He also appealed to the state government to consider extending the years of service in the civil service from 35 to 40 years and the retirement age from 60 to 65 years.
Osuma argued that such adjustment had become necessary in view of present-day economic realities and changing conditions in the workplace.
The unionist also reviewed that similar policies had already been adopted in some sectors and jurisdictions, expressing optimism that the State could also implement the reforms for the benefit of workers.
He however, commended Governor Fubara for approving an N85,000 minimum wage for workers in the state, noting that the amount was above the national benchmark of N70,000.
Osuma also acknowledged the government’s efforts in the area of workers’ promotions and bonuses, but insisted that pension reforms and extension of years of service remained critical to the long-term welfare and stability of civil servants in Rivers State.
By: King Onunwor
The Federal Government has launched the South-West zonal engagement and ministerial advocacy tour on the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria share capital mobilisation, sensitisation and cooperative sector digitalisation.
Reports say the initiative was launched through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
According to reports, the advocacy tour, organised by the ministry’s Federal Department of Cooperatives, began on Monday in Lagos.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister of Cooperative Affairs, Dr Aliyu Abdullahi, said the initiative was part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Abdullahi described the exercise as a strategic effort to reposition the cooperative sector as a key driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity.
“Today represents a defining moment in our collective determination to reposition the cooperative sector as a major driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity,” he said.
The minister noted the modern cooperative movement in Nigeria originated in the South-West following the 1934 Strickland Report, which led to the enactment of the Cooperative Societies Ordinance of 1935.
According to him, the decision to commence the sensitisation and share capital mobilisation tour in the region is symbolic, as it marks a return to the roots of cooperative development in the country.
Abdullahi said the advocacy tour was a direct outcome of resolutions reached at the 8th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Cooperative Affairs held in Abuja in March 2026.
He said the council approved the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme, a comprehensive framework designed to strengthen the cooperative sector and align it with the administration’s goal of building a one-trillion-dollar economy.
“The reform programme focuses on seven strategic pillars, including governance reforms, cooperative financing and the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria, digitalisation, capacity building, value chain development, inclusion of youths, women and persons with disabilities, and strategic partnerships,” he said.
He said the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria and the digitalisation of the cooperative sector were the two major transformational initiatives under the programme.
“The Cooperative Bank of Nigeria is aimed at rebuilding a strong cooperative financial system capable of supporting cooperators, farmers, artisans, traders, SMEs, youths, women and persons with disabilities with accessible and affordable financial services,” he said.
Abdullahi emphasised that the proposed bank would be government-enabled but not government-funded.
“Government is not establishing the bank as an owner, nor will it rely on Treasury Single Account funds.
“The role of government through the FMAFS is to provide policy support, stakeholder coordination, regulatory facilitation and an enabling environment under the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme,” he said.
Also speaking, the Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to cooperative sector transformation.
She described cooperatives as critical tools for promoting inclusive growth, grassroots productivity, food security, financial inclusion and community wealth creation.
Ambrose-Medebem said Lagos State would continue to support reforms and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (2025–2030).
“Together, let us build a cooperative ecosystem that is modern, transparent, digitally enabled, financially inclusive and globally competitive.
“Let us build cooperatives that not only mobilise savings, but also mobilise prosperity,” she said.