The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), and the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), yesterday presented insurance services guidelines to stakeholders in the oil and gas industry.
The guidelines were presented by the Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Simbi Wabote, and Commissioner for Insurance, NAICOM, Sunday Thomas, at the 2022 Nigerian Oil and Gas Conference (NOG) in Abuja.
The guidelines will oblige the oil and gas industry to patronise the local insurance sector, thereby retaining spend in the economy.
It will also address loopholes that have been identified while implementing the provisions of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.
Wabote said the provisions of sections 49 and 50 of the NOGICD Act require all operators engaged in any form of activity in the sector to insure all insurable risks related to its business with an insurance company, through an insurance broker registered in Nigeria.
He said: “the insurance guidelines were developed by the two regulatory bodies to ensure that the government’s intention of promoting insurance services within the country is achieved so as to capture significant financial spend under oil and gas insurance services in-country.”
According to him, the Act provides that where an operator seeks to place an insurable risk offshore, a written approval of NAICOM must first be sought and obtained.
He added that NAICOM before the issuance of the approval must ascertain that local capacity had been fully exhausted.
The insurance guidelines were developed by the two regulatory bodies to ensure that the government’s intention of promoting insurance services within the country is achieved so as to capture significant financial spend under oil and gas insurance services in-country.
