By Emmanuel Olugua
Seven of Nigeria’s biggest corporate organisations, including Dangote Group, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), have been shortlisted for the prestigious 2026 Most Valuable Insurance Customer of the Year award at the Almond Insurance Industry Awards.
The organisers unveiled the nominees on Thursday in Lagos, describing the category as a recognition of organisations that have demonstrated exceptional commitment to insurance adoption, sound risk management and asset protection.
Other nominees are Air Peace Limited, HiTech Construction Company Limited, M.L. Lee Group of Companies and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Nigeria.
Speaking at the unveiling, the awards consultant, Prof. Olajide Fadun, said the nominees emerged after a rigorous screening process conducted by the Awards Panel of Judges based on established criteria.
According to him, the one-month nomination exercise attracted entries from insurance companies, brokers, corporate organisations, government agencies and other industry stakeholders, with 796 nominations qualifying across various categories.
Although the figure was lower than the 914 nominations received in 2025, Fadun said the reduction reflected stricter compliance with the awards guidelines and a more refined selection process.
He noted that the awards celebrate excellence across several categories, including general insurance, life insurance, insurance broking, insurance chief executive, insurance woman of the year, microinsurance, takaful insurance, and outstanding insurance customers.
Also speaking, Secretary of the Awards Panel of Judges, Dr. Obinna Chilekezie, described the inclusion of the Central Bank of Nigeria among the nominees as a positive development for insurance penetration in the country.
He observed that many public institutions still fail to adequately insure government assets despite existing legal provisions, largely because of the belief that such assets can always be replaced with public funds.
Chilekezie expressed optimism that recognising leading corporate insurance customers would encourage more public institutions and private organisations to embrace insurance as a critical risk management tool.
Chairman of the Awards Panel, Mr. Ogala Osoka, said winners would be determined through a combination of public voting, judges’ assessment, and industry data.
According to him, industry performance data will account for 80 per cent of the final score, while judges’ assessment and public voting will contribute 10 per cent each.
He added that the organisers would retain the One-Time Password (OTP) verification system introduced last year to prevent multiple voting and ensure the credibility of the process.
Public voting opened on Thursday and will close on September 6, ahead of the 2026 Almond Insurance Industry Awards and Consumers’ Night scheduled for November 6 in Lagos.
Convener of the awards, Ms. Kesiena Ughwode, said the initiative had continued to gain industry-wide acceptance, becoming an important platform for recognising excellence while promoting greater awareness of insurance among Nigerians.
She noted that many previous winners now proudly display their Almond Insurance Industry Awards recognition on their corporate platforms, underscoring the growing prestige and marketing value of the honour.
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