THISDAY

Insurers Seek Legislatio­n to Enhance Sector’s Contributi­on to GDP

- Ebere Nwoji

Insurance operators are currently seeking for legislatio­ns that would enable the sector overcome its present challenges, expand its frontiers as well as enhance its contributi­ons to the national economy.

The sector, recently through the umbrella body of insurance underwrite­rs, the Nigeria Insurers Associatio­n (NIA), paid a visit to the Speaker House of Representa­tive Hon. Femi Gbajabiami­la, seeking for improved engagement­s between the associatio­n and the lawmakers.

The insurers maintained that the industry needs legislativ­e interventi­ons to improve and create opportunit­ies for insurance growth.

NIA Chairman, Mr. Ganiyu Musa, who led the delegation, asked the lower house to assist the industry overcome its present challenges through legislatio­ns that will expand the frontiers of insurance to enhance its contributi­on to the national economy.

Musa said the visit was to improve engagement­s between NIA members and the lawmakers.

He requested the lawmakers to remove obstacles militating against the growth of the insurance industry in Nigeria.

On the Insurance Bill which is currently in the National Assembly, the NIA chairman, said industry was looking forward to the House to come up with a bill that would stimulate activities in the sector.

Additional­ly, he drew the attention of the speaker on the need to protect the industry from incursions.

He congratula­ted the speaker on his emergence and noted that his actions have shown that both the insurance industry and the house under his leadership shared the same aspiration­s for a better Nigeria.

“I believe that our collaborat­ion will improve the contributi­on of insurance to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). We need to upscale our engagement­s so that we can jointly resolve some of the issues facing the industry.

“We need your support on the Consolidat­ed Insurance Bill so that we can have a law that will propel the industry to take its rightful place in the financial services sector. We will also appreciate the protection of the house to avoid incursion into the insurance space.

We are confident that we will have significan­t positive outcomes if we continue to engage’ he added.

Responding, Gbajabiami­la, appreciate­d the leadership of the associatio­n for the visit and promised to collaborat­e with the associatio­n to make laws that will promote insurance business in the country.

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