By Obaike Odihue
The Federal Government has approved the appointment of 17 insurance underwriters for key government officials and the federal civil servants.
Head of Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, disclosed this to newsmen after the Federal Executive Council, FEC, presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja.
She explained that the Group Life Insurance Scheme would enable families government officials and workers to have a benefit to cushion the effects of death of the affected persons.
The Minister said Monday’s approval by FEC was for 2025/2026 policy year which would become effective from the date of payment of premium to the underwriters.
She said: “I have the privilege to present the approval of the Federal Executive Council as regards the Group Life Ansurance Scheme. This scheme underscores the importance that President Bola Tinubu’s Administration, has placed welfare of staff, specifically the welfare of the federal public servant.
“The Group Life Insurance Scheme is a scheme whereby the federal government has taken out a life policy on each public servant. And this means that if the unfortunate incident of death occurs, the deceased public servants next of kin stands to have a benefit to help the family cushion the family at that time of loss.
“This year, the group life assurance scheme covers key government officials, comprising Mr President, the Vice President, the Chief of Staff, the secretary to the government of the Federation, Honorable Ministers, the head of the civil service of the Federation, permanent secretaries and staff of federal government ministries and Treasury funded agencies. That is the extra ministerial departments and agencies as well.
“The scheme also covers the para military agencies such as Nigerian Immigration Service, Nigeria security and civil defense corps, Nigeria Correctional Service, the federal fire service, federal road safety corps, national drug law enforcement agency and the Office of the National Security Adviser.
“The Group Life Insurance Scheme is an annual one, and today’s approval was for the 2025/2026 policy year the policy would commence from the date of payment of premium to underwriters in line with the no premium, no cover policy.
“I would like to just quickly take you through the actual approval for today. The approval for today was for the appointment of 17 insurance underwriters for the group life insurance cover and for the year 2025/2026 as I had earlier mentioned.
“And the premium is paid to the insurance companies for The duration of 12 months. So this policy will expire next year. I just like to say that in as much as this policy has existed throughout this administration and even previous administrations, we find that not too many people know about the policy, and so we have, from my office, even planned to carry out a sensitization, which will be coming up very soon.”
