PUNCHman wins Africa insurance award, Ogunshola honored

Tunde Ajaja, Chief Correspondent of the Weekend Titles newspapers, has won the award for Best Reinsurance/Insurance Print Journalist (English Category) of the Year in Africa.

Ajaja was named the winner of this year's edition of the award in Lagos on Friday.

The event, hosted by Continental Reinsurance Plc, culminated in a kick-off dinner hosted for the company's Chairman of the Board, Chief Ajibola Ogunshola, and selected directors. Ogunshola is a former Chairman of Punch Nigeria Limited.

Meanwhile, Ajaja won with his article titled “Poor life insurance, hard covers plunge vulnerable families into deep poverty”. The report highlighted the need for Nigerians and by extension Africans to embrace life insurance to minimize the prevalence of dependents sliding into poverty when the breadwinner dies or becomes disabled. He also highlighted the need for insurance companies to introduce more flexible covers that would meet the needs of more people across different income levels.

Among the four finalists in the paper (English) category was another chief correspondent with The PUNCH, Nike Popoola, who was named the overall winner at the first edition of the award in 2016 as well as the best re/insurance Journalist Analysis and Industry Commentary of the Year in 2018.

Popoola was also a finalist in the Online (English) category, won by Felix Klutse, from Business Day Media, Ghana.

Other winners of the event were Destiny Onyemihia, from Voice of Nigeria, who won the broadcast category (English); Ouedraogo Oumar, from Burkina Faso, who won the French category for print, broadcast or online press; while Atif Mahrous and Maher Hanna, both Egyptians, were co-winners in the Arabic category for print, broadcast or online. Additionally, Fraterne Ndacyayisenga from Rwanda was named the winner in the Future Talent category.

In his remarks, the chairman of the eight-member jury, Michael Wilson, applauded the winners, saying: "The top entries were highly competitive, covering topical issues and combining the role of industry in the building trust, responding to risk and committing to sustained growth, with compelling human-interest angles and strong narratives. For the first time, the awards welcomed entries in Arabic, which helped to a 37% increase in submissions"

Organizers of the event said about 100 entries were received from 22 countries across the continent and about 20 journalists from 10 countries were shortlisted for the six categories.

Winners were rewarded with cash prizes, certificates and plaques.

The Deputy Technical Commissioner of the National Insurance Commission, Mr. Sabiu Abubakar, who represented the Chief Executive of the commission, Mr. Sunday Thomas, and the Chief Executive of the Association of Nigerian Insurers, Ms. Yetunde Ilori, were among the dignitaries and stakeholders at the event.

Meanwhile, Group Managing Director, Continental Reinsurance Plc, Mr Lawrence Nazare has praised Ogunshola for his outstanding record serving the business and for being at the forefront of the advancement of journalism in Nigeria.

Nazare said: “Over the past seven years we have had a distinguished man at the helm of Continental Reinsurance Plc. He is Chief Ajibola Ogunshola. and unprecedented success of the company.

“He is the main reason for this event. We would like to thank him and wish him well as he leaves his mark on Continental Reinsurance. of the insurance industry."

While appreciating the honor conferred on him by the organizers of the event, Ogunshola thanked the directors who worked with him, saying, "As president, my job has been made very easy by the quality of the directors I had to chair. I enjoyed my job as chair.”