The Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to enhancing insurance awareness in the state, as part of efforts to deepen understanding and adoption of insurance among residents.
To achieve this objective, the governor has constituted a working committee to collaborate with the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers on creating awareness about insurance in Abia State.
The disclosure was made during a business visit by the President of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers, Ekeoma Ezeibe, who led a delegation from the Council to the Abia State Governor.
It was reported that Otti had been represented at the inauguration of the third female President of the NCRIB in Lagos, where she unveiled the one-insurance-industry theme as the anchor of her administration.
A statement from the NCRIB said, “the governor, who was enthused by the new Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act 2025, disclosed that he had constituted a high-level working team within his government to work with the NCRIB in coming up with practical and sustainable ways the insurance awareness initiative, for which Abia State was being proposed as a pilot project, would be successful.”
In addition, Otti was said to have underscored the importance of involving younger professionals in the insurance collaboration to ensure sustainability, drawing reference from the Abia Leadership Academy, which he noted had successfully trained about 1,000 young people in the state.
In recognition of the role of insurance brokers in advancing insurance penetration in Nigeria and particularly in Abia State, the governor also expressed support for the 2026 chief executive officers’ retreat of the Council, scheduled to hold in Abia State in June.
The President of the NCRIB, Ekeoma Ezeibe, explained to the governor the provisions of the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act 2025, highlighting the role of insurance brokers and provisions relating to compulsory insurances, which she said emphasised the duty of care governments owe to their citizens.
She said the selection of Abia State for the pilot insurance awareness project and the forthcoming CEOs’ Retreat was strategic, based on the achievements of the current administration and the need to extend insurance penetration to the eastern part of the country to stimulate socio-economic growth in the region.
Ezeibe outlined the benefits of compulsory insurance under the law, which she said include job creation, encouragement of investment, value creation, security and stability, access to healthcare and consumer protection.
According to her, sustainability is central to the success of economic interventions, describing insurance as a critical tool for business continuity, the protection of public assets and private investments, and for strengthening the social contract between government and citizens.
