The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) and the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) are collaborating to enforce the car third-party insurance policy.
Speaking during the partnership meeting in Abuja, the Commissioner for Insurance and Chief Executive Officer of NAICOM, Olusegun Omosehin, said the two organisations will also work closely to ensure safer motoring, road safety, and the enforcement of the compulsory third-party motor insurance policy.
Though Nigerians are apprehensive about the enforcement of the third-party motor insurance policy, Omosehin argued that the benefits outweigh the premium.
He added: “We have been enjoying this sort of collaboration, but today we are putting it on another pedestal. We want to appeal to Nigerians to be very positive about the benefits and also rest assured that the National Insurance Commission is here to address any issues regarding claims payment.”
He assured that the Commission would treat claims promptly, saying, “As the Commissioner for Insurance, I am giving my word that the insurance sector is up and doing and will be ready to meet all obligations. If there are incidents or complaints, we have set up a desk to address such issues.”
The NAICOM boss explained that working with the FRSC will not only reduce crashes on the roads but also lead to the payment of lower premiums.
He said, “In a way, this will incentivise safe road culture in the country. It will also reduce the likelihood that Nigerians who are unfortunately involved in accidents do not, due to a lack of money, suffer permanent disability or even death because the necessary funds for medical treatment are unavailable.”
On his part, the Corps Marshal of the FRSC, Shehu Mohammed, said the Commission is ever ready to embrace collaborative efforts with sister government agencies, individuals, and private organisations to ensure the safety of lives and vehicles on Nigerian roads.
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He said: “We are road safety, and road safety ideas and principles are a shared responsibility. So, any individual, group, agency, or organisation that wants to partner with the Federal Road Safety Commission to execute our mandate of reducing road traffic crashes and creating a safe and secure motoring environment, we are open to collaboration. Road safety insurance is part of the National Road Traffic Regulation 2016, especially Regulation Number 139, which makes it compulsory for every vehicle owner to have insurance. If that will also support the reduction of road traffic crashes, we are 100 per cent in support. Our operatives will continue to enforce road safety insurance.”
On how to prevent the proliferation of fake insurance policies, the FRSC urged NAICOM to adopt the National Driver’s License model, which can be authenticated on the FRSC website.
It disclosed that it has developed a system where anyone can verify whether a driver’s license is authentic or not.
To make this happen, the FRSC noted that a database of third-party insurance certificates must be built.
“Whether you have internet access or not, or whether you have a mobile phone or not, you can verify the authenticity of a driver’s license. On our database, with your phone, you can query our records and verify a driver’s license. The same applies to plate numbers. If you want to know if a plate number is genuine, on the road with your phone, once you know the code, you can visit the website to verify the plate number. It will show you whether it is genuine or was printed illegally,” it said.
The FRSC also urged NAICOM to ensure that the guidelines of the third-party insurance policy are written in clear and simple language that is easily understood by the populace.
