The Lagos state government has said that its solid and proper insurance arrangement helped the state underwrite its losses incurred during the ENDSars protest.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos said this in his keynote address at the grand finale of the Lagos state civil service insurance week-themed ‘If You Can Be Insured: We’ll Bear Your Risk.’
“If not for a solid and proper insurance arrangement, Lagos will still be grappling with the challenges of replacement, reinstatement, and repairs of damaged properties,” he said.
“Also, the Covid-19pandemic that is still ravaging the entire world is another challenge that was catered for by the insurance industry,” he further said.
“The consortium of underwriters provided a ‘special package’ for medical personnel that is involved in the treatment of Covid patients. This was done in the form of corporate social responsibility (CSR),” the governor added.
The governor whose keynote address was delivered by Rabiu Olowo, commissioner of finance, said that embracing an appropriate insurance policy is one of the prudent decisions that anyone can make because different forms of unfortunate incidents happen that cannot be controlled.
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He said that the state is forward-thinking and particular about the safety of its workforce, thus insuring them against any unforeseen occurrences including payment of benefits to families of any of its deceased employees.
“The state government spends a huge sum of money annually to insure its property and workforce,” he said.
“This shows that Lagos is leading by example and setting the pace as far as insurance is concerned,” he noted.
Speaking also, Rabiu Olowo, commissioner of finance, in his welcome address said that he is fulfilled owing to the feedback the ministry has received since the commencement of the insurance week, an indication it is a step in the right direction.
He appreciated Sanwo-Olu for approving the event and also all partners for providing the necessary support to make the insurance week a reality.
Olowo noted that the state Ministry of Finance through its insurance department has concluded zoning activities of the department to decentralise its operations and make the process of accessing insurance claims by civil servants less cumbersome.
“This planned decentralization, will take into cognizance the five ‘IBILE’ divisions of the state where zonal officers will report activities and claims to the headquarters for promptness, efficiency and effectiveness,” he said.
“With this initiative, distance will no longer be a limiting factor to access insurance claims by government employees,” he added.
Similarly, he added that another strategy is being put in place by the ministry to eliminate unnecessary bureaucracies for relatives of deceased staff in accessing their insurance compensation.
Oyeyemi Ayoola, permanent secretary, Ministry of Finance unveiled the digitalise insurance platform for civil servants in the state.
“The ministry saw gaps in the system and wants to digitalise its insurance processes and remove every form of delays in processing civil servants benefits in the state,” she said.
“With the digitailisation portal, issues being encountered in paying benefits to families of deceased will become a thing of the past,” she added.
