Chiamaka Ajeamo
As part of measures to curb the menace of fake vehicle insurance certificate in the country, the Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) has kicked off a campaign tagged ‘Wetin U Carry?’ to educate motorists on the essence of obtaining genuine insurance policies for their vehicles.
The Director General of the NIA, Mrs. Yetunde Ilori, speaking during the media launch of the campaign said that the aim of the campaign which will run for a month in Lagos starting from October 2, is to constantly enlighten and remind Nigerians on the need to know the status of their vehicle insurance covers.
Ilori said that the campaign will further boost the effectiveness of the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) Code*565*11# launched by the association, January this year used for checking the authenticity of motor insurance certificates.
She noted that a team of 33 persons, referred to as the insurance Squad, will be kitted for the exercise, to move from different locations within the state, interacting with people in a friendly manner, educating them on the benefits of possessing genuine vehicle insurance certificates.
She said that NIA desires to put the slogan, Wetin U Carry? on the lips of Nigerians, adding that the slogan is not meant to extort anything from people, but to enquire from them whether they are carrying valid or invalid certificates. a“For as long as people cannot differentiate between fake and genuine insurance covers, people will keep patronising fake agents. The awareness on the usage of USSD code *565*11# is gaining more ground as people depend on it daily to resolve issues bothering on genuineness of their policies. Presently, over 2.5 million vehicles with insurance policies have been uploaded on the Nigerian Insurance Industry Database (NIID), this campaign will further increase this number because we expect more people to embrace insurance from the education that will be acquired from the Insurance Squad”.
She further revealed that the campaign would also deploy various platforms, such as billboards advertorials, media and digital and it will be extended to other states of the country in due time.
Further speaking, Ilori stated that whilst the campaign runs, the association would also launch a unified platform that would enable people purchase insurance policies with ease online as well as lodge complaints.
She assured that the insurance companies that deal with vehicle insurance policies will be uploaded to the platform as this would enable people buy insurance without stress.
She said that the NIID remains one of the best ways to curb fake motor insurance policy in the country.
