By Chiamaka Ajeamo
AIICO Insurance Plc. has joined forces with ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) to tackle and put an end to infant homicide (infanticide) in Nigeria.
According to its Head, Strategic Marketing and Communications Department, Segun Olalandu, AIICO has pledged the donation of N100 for every retail Travel and Automobile policies sold to this cause. The company recently presented a cheque of N1.47 million to AAN representing proceeds from half-year, 2021 sales.
Infanticide is in practice in some local communities in Nigeria. Around 57 communities across the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, are still actively involved in this barbaric act owing to some ancient traditional beliefs. Children with albinism, born with Down Syndrome, born with various birth defects, among many others, are considered taboo and therefore become victims.
ActionAid Nigeria, a Non-Governmental Organization, (NGO) has poverty eradication among local and excluded communities as one of its key areas of focus. Among other interventions to tackle infanticide, it is raising funds to build a home for the children and provide the much-needed education they need to thrive in life.
Speaking during the joint briefing with AAN, Olusanjo Shodimu, Divisional Head, Shared Services, AIICO, stated: “We have chosen to partner with ActionAid Nigeria, going by their track records of accountability and integrity, their impact on society and global recognition. We are impressed with their achievements and have no doubts this partnership will yield the expected results – ending the infanticide menace in the long run.”
For Abimbola Shobanjo, Head, Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, “This is not a one-off project; we intend to continue for as long as necessary. We have tied proceeds from the sales of our retail Travel and Automobile insurance policies to it for sustainable funding.”
Hence, by this gesture, AIICO’s customers who purchase retail Travel and Automobile policies are now indirectly contributing towards saving innocent lives and impacting the society. They are key stakeholders in this initiative as every purchase has a direct proportionality on the scale of the intervention.