The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) and 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 towards ensuring very safe motoring, safety on the roads, and enforcement of 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 to rest assured that the National Insurance Commission is here to enforce any error around claims payment.”
He stated that the commission will 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 the obligations. If there are incidents or complaints, we have set up a desk that will address such.”
The NAICOM boss explained that working with the FRSC will not only reduce crashes on the roads but also lead to payment of less premium.
“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, because of lack of money, suffer permanent disability, or even die, because what is needed to take care of or to meet the medical treatment is not available,” the NAICOM boss said.
On his part, the Corp Marshall of the FRSC, Shehu Mohammed, said the Commission is ever-ready to embrace collaborative efforts with sister government agencies, individuals and private organisations for the sole purpose of ensuring the safety of lives and vehicles on Nigerian roads.
His words: “We are road safety, and road safety ideas, road safety principles, is 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 motor environment, we are together with such groups or groups. Road safety insurance is part of the National Road Traffic Regulation 2016, especially Regulation Number 139, which is compulsory for every vehicle owner to have. And if that will also support the reduction of road traffic crashes, we are 100 per cent into it. Our operatives will continue to enforce the road safety insurance.”
On how to prevent the proliferation of fake insurance policies, the FRSC urged NAICOM to adopt the National Driver Licence model, which can be authenticated on the FRSC website It disclosed that it has developed a system where anyone can verify whether the driver’s licence is authentic or not.
To make this happen, FRSC noted that a database of third-party insurance certificates must be built.
“Whether you have an internet or a mobile phone on your phone or not, you can verify the authenticity of a driver’s licence. And on our database, with your phone, you can query our database, and verify a driver’s license. The same thing with plate numbers. If you want to know if the plate number is genuine, on the road with your phone, once you know the code, you can then visit the website to verify the plate number with a code. 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.
