By Funmilayo Olusanya

The outstanding pension debt owed to former employees of NICON Insurance and Delta Steel Company, which was estimated to worth over N7 billion, has been paid off by the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate.

The sum represented the liquidation of the 56-month pension obligations owed to former employees of NICON Insurance and the 49-month pension obligations owed to former employees of Delta Steel Company.

The agency reported that a total of 4,691 former employees of both organizations were impacted by the liquidated pensions.

Dr. Chioma Ejikeme, executive secretary of PTAD, stated during a news conference on Thursday in Abuja that a total of 100 months’ worth of NICON Insurance pension arrears and 96 months’ worth of Delta Steel arrears were inherited.

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She said that inherited unfunded obligations for disbanded government ministries were estimated to be around N95 billion, adding up to a total monthly pension expense of N2.298 billion and a yearly bill of N62.073 billion for the disbanded organizations.

“As at today, we have settled a total of over N39bn of the inherited N95bn, with N3.4bn of this amount making up one-off payments. These payments are ongoing,” she said.

She said that PTAD had successfully and regularly paid pensioners monthly without fail and had made payment of over N8.5bn as accumulated arrears of pensions and gratuities to pensioners of the Civil Service Pension Department and the next-of-kins of deceased pensioners through the Expanded Computation Project.

“With the liquidation of these inherited liabilities, the burden keeps getting lighter, and we will continue to work with all the relevant agencies of government to ensure that all accrued pension arrears are fully liquidated, especially the 63 months of inherited pension liability owed the ex-workers of NITEL/MTEL and their Next-of-Kin which we will continue soon,” she assured.

The PTAD was established to respond to grievances pensioners had with the previous defined benefits plan.

Ejikeme stated that the agency had completed the “I Am Alive” Confirmation Solution’s pilot phase and had solidified plans for the solution’s full distribution.

She pointed out that the solution removed the dangers and stress associated with traveling to different locations for field verifications and revealed PTAD’s intention to improve life for elderly adults in the nation so they could enjoy their retirement without stress.

Modupe ASUDO

ABUJA-THE Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) have signed insurance services guideline which will oblige the oil and gas industry to patronize the local insurance sector, thereby retaining insurance spending in the economy.

The guidelines will also address loopholes that have been identified while implementing the provisions of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, particularly sections 49 and 50, which deals with insurance of oil and gas activities. The Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote and the Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Sunday Thomas signed the guidelines recently on behalf of their organisations in Yenagoa. In his remarks, the Executive Secretary stated that the provisions of sections 49 and 50 of the NOGICD Act require all operators engaged in any form of activity or project in the Oil and Gas industry to insure all insurable risks related to its oil and gas business with an insurance company, through an insurance broker registered in Nigeria.

He stressed further that the Act provides that where an operator seeks to place an insurable risk offshore, a written approval of NAICOM must first be sought and obtained and that NAICOM before the issuance of the approval must ascertain that local capacity has been fully exhausted. Wabote reiterated that the Insurance guideline will strengthen the Board’s local content drive and ensure that a greater portion of the spend in the Insurance industry as it relates to oil and gas activities in Nigeria is retained in-country. In his words, “the insurance guideline being launched today was developed by the two regulatory bodies to ensure that government’s intention of promoting insurance services within the country is achieved so as to capture significant financial spend under oil and gas insurance services in country.”

The NCDMB chieftain said the collaboration between Board and NAICOM will further ensure the successful implementation of the Insurance Guidelines and every other activity that will lead to the attainment of the objectives of the NOGICD Act, 2010 as well as 70 percent Nigerian Content by 2027 under the Board’s 10-Year Strategic Roadmap. He added that finer details of the guidelines will be released at the Nigerian Content Seminar at the 2022 Nigerian Oil and Gas Conference scheduled for July 2022.

In his comments, the Commissioner for Insurance, NAICOM, Mr. Sunday Thomas charged all stakeholders engaged in any form of business, operations or contract in the Nigerian oil and gas industry to ensure compliance with the relevant laws and compliance with the insurance Guidelines. Thomas expressed optimism that the partnership between the Board and NAICOM will realize the benefits of increased local content, in-country value retention, job creation and employment generation and GDP growth amongst other. While appreciating the efforts of the Board, the NAICOM boss pledged his agency’s commitment to create an enabling environment that will consistently enhance increased capacity of the Insurance Institutions both financially and technically.

LAGOS-The nation’s insurance industry is about to witness a beehive of acquisition activities, as more foreign firms show interest in the local underwriting market which analysts say has huge potential for growth.

The latest of the deals is by Rosewood Insurance Group of Switzerland, a subsidiary of Greenoak Global of UK, which is in the process of concluding acquisition of a majority stake in Union Assurance Company Limited.

The company, BusinessDay investigations reveal, is gunning for a 93 percent equity stake in the Nigerian general business underwriting firm, wholly owned by Union Bank plc. The acquisition is waiting for the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) approval for conclusion.

Rosewood Insurance Group AG (“Rosewood”) is an insurance venture based in Zurich, Switzerland, wholly-owned by Greenoaks Global Holdings Ltd (“Greenoaks”).

Rosewood leverages deep insurance expertise and a long-term partnership approach to help build Greenoaks’ insurance companies into local market leaders, while Greenoaks partners with and builds local insurers in attractive global economies, focusing on identifying high quality insurance operations with competitive advantages that can develop into industry leaders.

The plan by Union Bank to quit ownership of the insurance company came following the reversal of universal banking licences by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), directing banks to relinquish ownership of non-banking activities, except on hold-co basis.

Industry watchers who spoke to BusinessDay last night, said there were  a good number of other acquisition deals going on in the market, which were expected to be concluded before the end of the year.

According to our source, most of the acquisitions are in bank-owned subsidiaries, whose owner banks were responding to the apex bank’s directive to quit universal banking operations.

In recent times also, other foreign players including Old Mutual, Sanlam and NSIA, all of South Africa,  among others, have come into the Nigerian market through acquisitions and partnerships which are expected to stir competition and stimulate further market growth.

Godwin Odah, managing director, Union Assurance Company Limited, had told a group of insurance brokers in Lagos, that following the CBN’s directive banning universal banking “I am pleased to inform our distinguished brokers that Union Bank is in the final stage of complying with this CBN requirement by divesting its 93 percent shareholding in Union Assurance.

Odah added,  “As soon as the formal regulatory approvals are secured, we shall be glad to unveil the new owners of the company to our stakeholders, including the broking community”.

He said the years 2014 and 2015 promised to produce interesting and exciting performance for the company as it transits through these phases.

A recent report by US-based research firm, Fast Market Research, says Nigeria’s insurance industry would grow at an average annual rate of 7.5 per cent between this year and 2018.

The Boston-based research firm is a leading provider of market research, business information and competitive intelligence, representing top global analysts and publishers.

“The industry is projected to grow at a cumulative average growth rate (CAGR) of 7.5 per cent over the forecast period. The strength in the country’s economy, combined with the introduction of new laws by the Nigerian insurance regulator, is expected to contribute to the overall growth of the Nigerian insurance industry over the forecast period,” the organisation forecasts.

Entitled, ‘The Insurance Industry in Nigeria: Key Trends and Opportunities to 2018,’ the report revealed that the CAGR for the insurance industry had peaked at 10 per cent, due to a sterling performance by the life insurance segment.

“In terms of written premium value, the Nigerian insurance industry grew at a review period CAGR of 10 per cent. This was due to the strong performance of the life segment, which registered a CAGR of 22.20 per cent during the review period,” the report further read.

The growth in the industry was also linked to the rise in disposable income, a factor that has been endorsed by leading consultants as a veritable driver of non-food expenditure.

Decrease in inflation rates and a marginal increase in the Nigerian labour force were also cited as factors promoting growth of the sector.

There still remains some untapped potential for the sector, as only about one per cent of the total Nigerian adult population is insured, according to the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM).

Also, most motorists have been reported as being unlicensed and uninsured. Capturing this extra potential may be the next big step for the sustenance and long term growth of the sector, the report said.