The National Association of Insurance and Pension Correspondents (NAIPCO) has given awards of recognition to the corporate communications managers of the National Pension Commission and AIICO Insurance Plc for their outstanding performance in 2020 .

The award, which is in two categories – The Regulator and Operator,  is to recognize and celebrate the communications managers in both sectors who have been an epitome of diligence, hard work and commitment to sustenance of mutual corporate communications relationship over the years.

This year’s award went to Messrs Peter Aghahowa and Segun Olalandu of National Pension Commission (PenCom) and AIICO Insurance Plc respectively.

Speaking before presenting the award to the two recipients at the NAIPCO 2020 end of year get together held during the weekend at the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers House, Yaba, Lagos, NAIPCO Chairmen, Mr. Chuks Udo Okonta, said the award is a yearly award to celebrate diligence, hard work and commitment to corporate communication excellence.

Okonta, the publisher of Inspenonline, who commended the corporate communications managers of their critical role in the industry, called for more collaborative and enhanced working relationship between the spokespersons of the two sectors and NAIPCO members especially in the area of information sharing.

According to him, “over the years, we have been thinking on what to do to celebrate and encourage our friends and spokespersons in the two sectors we are covering, so this year, we decided to come up with this award. It is a way of telling them that we have seen what you have done, keep up. We know there are a lot of other deserving winners but we cannot give the award to everybody the same time. Because you’ve not been called upon for your own this year does not mean that we have not recognized your immense support and contribution. You guys have been wonderful! We will continue to celebrate other deserving winners.

“To our two winners this year, we say congratulations! We expect more from you, because whom much is given, much is expected, and the result for reward is more work.”

He solicited more support from the corporate Communications managers of the two sectors, and reminded them of some new programmes introduced by NAIPCO aimed at depending insurance and pension penetration.

“We have evolved an innovative concept tagged: Profiling. The idea behind this is to showcase key components of the sectors, which are: Management team, Products and Claims history and payment to the public, thereby increasing knowledge and driving patronage.

“We also have Advert to News concept, that is aimed at converting advert materials into prose form, making it easy for the public to understand the message been passed by organisations through their advertorials, ” he said.

Speaking after receiving the award, Head, Strategic Marketing and Corporate Communications, AIICO Insurance Plc, Mr.Segun Olalandu, thanked NAIPCO for the honour done him and promised to do everything within his ability to justify the honour.

Also speaking, the representative of the second awardee, Head, Corporate Communications Department, National Pension Commission (PenCom), Mr. Peter Aghahowa, who was unavoidably absence, Snr. Manager, South/West Zonal Office, PenCom, Mr. Lanre Ogedegbe, on behalf of the DG, Mrs. Aisha Dahir-Umar-Umar and the recipient of the award, thanked NAIPCO for the award.

While stressing the need for timely information sharing, Mr Ogedegbe said the Commission will continue to do its best by making sure that necessary information meant for public consumption is made available to the Media for further escalation, even as he urged NAIPCO members and the general public to also make use of the Commission’s website whenever they’re in need of information about PenCom and pension related maters.