Experts Canvass Integration of Insurance Checks into Public Digital Platform

• FG urged to establish insurance register, enforce compliance, insure public assets

Oluchi Chibuzor

As Nigeria pursues an increase in insurance penetration from the current 0.5 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to 10 percent, experts have called for integration of insurance checks into the nation’s public digital platform.

This is as they demanded that the government should be a compliance anchor in line with the new NIRA law by insuring public assets and employees.

Speaking at the all-media inclusive seminar, themed, ‘The Universe of Insurance and Journalism: Risk Everywhere, In Everything’, Dr. Omogbai Omo-Eboh, said making insurance work for individuals, governments and the economy requires integration through public digital services.

The two- day seminar was organised by Insurance Publication Limited, saw Omo-Eboh stressing that practical success of any national insurance policy depends upon its integration into public and quasi-public services.

He explained that under NIIRA 2025, the clearest path is to link compulsory insurance to licensing, permits, registration, and public procurement rather than treating it as a separate private-market product.

According to him, “Vehicle license renewal should require real-time verification of motor third-party insurance. Imported goods should not be cleared without evidence of marine cargo insurance issued in Nigeria.

“Building approvals and certificates of completion should be withheld unless builders’ liability and public building insurance are in place. Employers should not obtain tax clearance, workplace inspection clearance, or renewal of industrial licenses without proof of group life cover for employees. 

“There is a need to build insurance checks into digital public platforms. A government portal can verify policy numbers before issuing approvals, renewing licenses, or releasing permits, reducing manual fraud and delays.

“Public services can be used to collect premiums efficiently. Premiums can be paid through tax offices, licensing agencies, or sector regulators at the point of registration or renewal, so compliance becomes routine instead of burdensome. 

“For a national insurance policy to succeed, it must be meaningful to ordinary citizens. Insurance products for individuals should therefore be affordable, accessible, and intelligible.

“Microinsurance should be expanded for transport operators, traders, artisans, tenants, and low-income households. For insurance companies, the importance of data cannot be overemphasized. Data is the foundational asset for underwriting accuracy, risk assessment, product innovation, and customer trust.”

He maintained that for insurers to thrive under NIIRA 2025 expanded compulsory framework, access to synchronised data across government databases, credit bureaus, healthcare providers, and financial institutions is indispensable, enabling real-time verification, enhanced KYC processes, and robust fraud detection.

He applauded alignment among the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), together with the February 2026 partnership between NAICOM and CRC Credit Bureau, citing it represents a step in the right direction. 

He stated that with such coordination, enforcement becomes more efficient and policy design becomes more informed.

“This partnership will facilitate instant policy authentication, risk-based pricing, and automated decision-making while transitioning insurers from reactive claims payers to proactive risk managers.

“Nigeria needs an insurance policy that is legally sound, integrated into public administration and effectively enforced. Insurance should not be treated merely as a product sold after a crisis.

“It should become part of the ordinary processes through which Nigerians register vehicles, obtain building approvals, clear imported goods, and access loans. Also operate businesses, obtain permits and licences, participate in public procurement, access selected health and employment-related services. “

For the organisers, the lead Editor of IPL, Mr. Ifeanyi Ugwuadu, said to “achieve a robust national insurance policy, the Nigerian government should treat insurance as both a regulatory requirement and a strategic fiscal instrument.”

Speaking also, the President of Healthcare Providers Association of Nigeria (HCPAN), Dr. Austin Aipoh, urged journalists to serve as a watchdog against health misinformation.

“We expect journalists to report against health misinformation because they can kill. Let them report fake cures, unverified herbal remedies, false social-media claims, misleading medical advertisements, vaccine misinformation, dangerous self-medication advice.

“So, we must encourage the government to expand the scope of health insurance and more citizens should embrace it because illness can mean income lost,” he said.

However, Omo-Eboh stressed the need for governments to insure public assets, noting that when public assets, public works, and public employees are insured, the State is less exposed to unexpected expenditure arising from fire, accident, liability, or infrastructural failure.

According to him, this improves budget discipline and allows public funds to be directed towards development rather than crisis response.

“Thus, to build an integrative framework for a national insurance policy, there is a need to: Institutionalize public–private partnerships. Leverage insurance data for planning and risk management, e.g. use of compulsory insurance registers which can provide useful information on vehicle density, workplace risk, building exposure, cargo movement, and sectoral vulnerability,” he said.

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