By Isiaka Babatunde
Lagos State Government has urged civil servants to embrace appropriate insurance policies to avoid issues emanating from difficulty in accessing their benefits.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu made the appeal on Thursday during the grand finale of the Lagos State Civil Service Insurance Week.
The event which was organised by the Ministry of Finance in collaboration with a consortium of insurance companies and brokers was held at De-Blue Roof, Lagos Television, Ikeja.
The Governor who was represented by the Commissioner for Finance, Dr Rabiu Olowo, said that embracing appropriate insurance policy was still one of the prudent decisions anyone could make considering the fact that different forms of unfortunate incidents happen around us.
“As a government that is forward thinking and particular about the safety of the entire workforce, we have taken it upon ourselves to insure our staff against any unforeseen occurrences.
“The government spends a huge sum of money annually to insure its property and workforce. This shows that we are leading by example and setting the pace as far as insurance is concerned.
“It is on this premise that the Lagos State Civil Service Insurance Week was put together with series of activities including lectures and exhibitions which started since the beginning of the week.
“It is my hope that this event will serve as an eye opener to herald a change of attitude among the populace about the misconceptions surrounding insurance,” Sanwo-Olu said.
He emphasized that no modern economy could achieve its full growth potential without a well developed and thriving insurance sector.
The governor said the public stands to gain from insurance if public properties were adequately covered by insurance.
He added that individuals were not left out of insurance benefit if they had personal insurance cover.
Sanwo-Olu said: “I cannot but recall the devastating destruction to public assets as a result of last year’s ‘EndSARS protest which was hijacked by hoodlums.”
He noted that if not for a solid and proper insurance arrangement, the government would still be grappling with the challenges of replacement, reinstatement and repairs of damaged properties.
“While we continue to restate our commitment to the protection of life and property being the cardinal responsibility of government, it is important to state that our people must also be willing to play their part and do the needful.
“We have instituted insurance as a culture in Lagos State and I call on all our people to embrace this initiative.”
Earlier in his welcome address, Olowo said that in order to make the process of accessing insurance claims by government employees less cumbersome, the ministry through its Insurance Department has decentralised their operations.
He said that the planned decentralisation would take into cognisance the five “IBILE” divisions of the state where Zonal officers will report activities and claims to the headquarters for promptness, efficiency and effectiveness.
“Plans have been concluded to activate this new development and it will take effect soon. With this initiative, distance will no longer be a limiting factor to access insurance claims by government employees.
“Apart from this, another strategy that is being put in place by the Ministry of Finance is the elimination of unnecessary bureaucracies for the relatives of deceased staff in accessing the insurance compensation of the beloved ones,” Olowo said.
The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Finance, Mrs. Yemi Ayoola, said the event was organised following the aftermath of the EndSARS protests.
Ayoola said it was necessary for civil servants to insure their lives and property, adding that life itself is risk and no one could determine when any incident could happen.
“Insurance helps to reduce the risks that we face in life and it is important to note that we have a lot to benefit than to lose when we insure our lives and property, “Ayoola said.