Life without Alaba Joseph traumatic, says Folashade, widow of ex-Mobitel boss
By UCHENNA ONYIKE
Saturday, February 25, 2006

Losing a loved one is painful. But losing a breadwinner without anything to fall back on, especially for the children could be traumatic, says, Mrs. Folashade Joseph, widow of the late Mr. Alaba Joseph, former Managing Director of Mobitel Nigeria Limited.

It is against this background that she advises parents to start planning for their children once they start bearing them.
According to her, “women, especially full time house wives, should insist that their husbands take up an insurance education policy for their children because, just anything can happen, at any time in life.”

The soft spoken woman said her case would have been worse had her husband not been contributing religiously to the Guaranteed Tuition Protection Plan – an insurance education policy packaged by Capital Express Insurance Company.

With the demise of her husband, the Joseph became an instant beneficiary of N500,000 claims paid by the insaurance company to one of the daughters, Senami, a student of Bowen College, Lekki, Lagos.
Folashade says with the claims settlement, the burden of her fees is lifted off her, at least for two terms, giving her the chance to attend to other areas.

She also spoke about life without her husband:
“This is a very traumatic period for the Joseph’s family especially because of the circumstances of my husband’s death,” Folashade noted adding: “ I am particularly grateful to Capital Express Insurance Company because in fact you will think this is a no claim incidence.”

Inusrance is a very good idea for a student and for which parents should take. Even those who had stopped should re-start because this particular school that we have our ward had unfortunately stopped her particupation a couple of months ago.

The impression people have about insurance is that you don’t get claims, but I must thank the management of Capital Express because this is a case that had really bothered them and they have been very passionate about it. The Managing Director called me and said he wouldn’t know how his wife would feel had this happened to him. So based on this – the circumstances of our case – they had decided to help us. Most insurance companies will not even take a second look at this kind of a claim.
I want to advise others because I believe that insurance is a very beautiful thing.

I know that in advanced countries, there is hardly anything that is not insured, particularly, the children, so that they don’t have have to stop their education if their parents die. What Capital Express had done for us I will say is by the grace of God and it will pay for at least the remaining two terms of our daughter’s school fees.

For schools like my children attend, I believe parents who have stopped the insurance scheme should begin and not only that, they should increase the premium so that when this kind of thing unexpectedly happens, like in our own case, at least even if it is for two years, before they stabilize, the children should be able to continue in their school.

The worse thing for any parent is when you begin to doubt if your children will be able to continue in school. It is very traumatic and it has been for us, especially given the circumstances of my husband’s death. So this N500,000 will go a long way at least to sort out our daughter’s school fees for two terms.

I am very grateful and I want to advise that women, especially full time house wives, should insist that their husbands take up an insurance education policy for their children because, just anything can happen, at any time in life. You have to plan for the rainy day.