General News
Tips to Making Insurance Agents Improve on their Careers
In insurance business, the role of agents is as old as the business itself. The first introduction of insurance to rural dwellers, more often than not, comes from the agents. That explains how important their work can be in advancing the insurance industry. However if agents must excel in their work, there are tips that can assist to enhance their career. Among these tips, there are some that are outstanding which insurance agents must keep close to their chest. There is something inherent in human nature to want to quantify and rank things. Whether its sport teams, songs, movies, or restaurants, people want to know and decide what are the best or worst. And there is something ubiquitous about ranking things in groups of 10. These top ten tips are useful in helping agents to improve their career.
Among the most outstanding in this order of things is planning for the future. Planning in insurance as in any other profession pays off on the long run. Planning helps in shaping a vision toward reaching a future destination and reminds one that success does not happen by chance. Starting small is better than not starting all. If you need help with planning for the future and your career, it is advisable to find a mentor. A mentor will be able to see things from a different angle and offers you advice based on experience, which can translate into an easier, better and more focused path.
Another tip is to start marketing or improve on present level of marketing. Marketing is one of the keys to success and the best way to keep your career moving forward therefore not taking it seriously has a negative impact on the expected end of the road results. Effective marketing opens doors to unexpected opportunities. Marketing is everything that you do to reach and persuade prospects. The sales process is everything that you do to close the sale. Both are necessities for success. Marketing is the difference between a small increase and an exponential increase in sales. By strategically combining marketing and sales you will experience a successful amount of business growth. In this electronic age, there are more marketing opportunities with social media.
Underwriters and agents must work in close relationship. Experts have suggested that it is crucial for agents to do their home work well in order to have a complete understanding of the business terrain, especially against the background that every agent has a complete understanding of the risk and different definition of a complete submission. It is important to bear in mind that insurance is a business of people. The underwriters are the gatekeepers and trusted eyes for the companies. Therefore agents should reach out to the underwriters on submissions in areas where they might need more information.
Agents must learn to maximize their. It is often said that time is money. Taking care of business requires that you maximize your time as it is your most important asset. Developing a short "to do list" the night before will not only put you on track but also to get organized. For example, taking time during the day to call clients, checking emails for enquiries and responses or market your services are some of the things that should be focused upon. It is advisable to give full concentration to the job without opening roads to unnecessary interruptions like phone calls, emails, and attending to visitors that are unconnected with moving forward.
Update your technical skills. When it comes to technology, insurance agents need to stay abreast of and embrace new technologies, or run the risk of being outmodel. The boom of cyberspace and e-commerce has opened up new opportunities for technology. It is therefore expected that agents should utilize technology, a situation that will also assist in time management. Using the right tools will help in terms of time and efficiency. Expectedly agents should adopt the attitude of knowing that change is interesting and challenging, and that you are young at any age if you are planning for tomorrow.
Understand the value of your reputation. Reputation is what people use to judge your worthiness for career advancement. You must take aggressive action to protect your reputation. No matter how good, honest or full of integrity you are in your career, accusations of misconduct or mistakes will come your way, particularly if you’re ambitious. If it looks like your reputation may suffer a hit, it is time to apply a candid, clear, focused and firm approach to address the situation. Agents should learn to maintain their integrity by being positive and polite, honest and above all, professional.
Continue with professional developmental. One way to enhance your reputation is to get involved with professional organizations that allow you to grow your network, stay aware of trends and increase your knowledge base. It is important that they take responsibility for professional development.
Maintain work/life balance. Achieving a balance between work and life has become more complex over time. You must have balance in your life if you want to be more effective at work. We all have been under pressure to produce, meet sales goals and juggle multiple projects at one point or another. However, it is important to be able to separate work from personal life. This is for obvious reasons, because an agent that is taking stress home will most likely be unable to eat or sleep because of stress. It is advisable to delegate everything you can, learn to turn off the phone, exercise regularly and get quality sleep. Without proper sleep, the effect would tell in ones effort to concentrate. Understand office culture. Like it or not, every workplace is a political environment. Office politics may be good or bad, depending on who is involved. Office politics are simply the connective tissues of the formal organizational structure. Gaining insight to predict and avoid roadblocks, and taking advantage of scoring opportunities is the name of the game. Therefore, it is instructive to stay away from office gossip and always be positive about others. There will be things you will want to take a stand on. Just think it through first. Be choosy and think about how you can make it a win-win situation.
Appreciate your Customer Service Representative (CSR). Agents who excel take CSR very dear to their hearts. To be able to achieve anything, then a focused agent must take his CSR important, because it has a wealth of information that is well-connected.. Relationships are built on reciprocity. You’re bound to need advice, an extra hand, or someone to bail you out of a jam now and again. It could be said that your CSR lies in your success.
Femi Otedola, chairman, First HoldCo, has revealed that he will invest $100 million in Dangote refinery.
Aliko Dangote and Femi Otedola
This is coming ahead of news that the Dangote refinery is planning to raise $2 billion through private placement, by selling its shares to the general public on a stock exchange for the first time.
Otedola, announced his plans on Wednesday after leading top executives of First HoldCo to visit Aliko Dangote, president of the Dangote Group, at the refinery in Lagos.
“From on a personal note, I’ve appealed to him (Aliko Dangote). I’ve been here with him 25 times, so my compensation is he’s going to allocate to me shares worth $100 million in the private placement,” the billionaire said.
“That’s one of the reasons why I sold my stake in Geregu plant to come and invest my proceeds in the IPO of Dangote refinery.”
During the meeting, Dangote said, the company is targeting a private placement of about $2 billion for the refinery
Dangote, on October 22, 2025, said the refinery could sell up to 10 percent stake in the listing, which Bloomberg valued to be about $5 billion.
The billionaire is planning to make the IPO a cross-border listing to enable the refinery draw investments from domestic and international investors.
In an earlier report, Dangote said the IPO is designed to democratise wealth creation and give Africans direct access to participate in the continent’s industrial transformation.
On May 12, Bloomberg reported that the billionaire is reportedly aiming for a valuation of up to $50 billion for Dangote refinery.
The Nigeria Immigration Service, Lagos State Command, has entered into a collaborative partnership with Lasaco Assurance Plc to drive sustainable institutional growth and operational synergy.
According to a statement from the firm, the partnership is a strategic move to bridge the gap between public service efficiency and private sector innovation.
The partnership was solidified during a courtesy visit by top officials of the NIS Lagos Command to the corporate headquarters of Lasaco Assurance Plc in Lagos.
Led by the Deputy Comptroller of Immigration and Passport Control Officer, the NIS delegation engaged the insurance firm’s executive team in high-level discussions aimed at fostering knowledge exchange, strengthening risk management practices, and advancing national development goals.
A major highlight of the strategic engagement was the presentation of an award to the Managing Director of Lasaco Assurance Plc, Ademoye Shobo.
The NIS delegation honoured the insurance boss for his exemplary leadership in driving product growth, building operational resilience, and introducing innovative risk management solutions to the industry.
While commending Lasaco’s leadership, the NIS delegation noted that the company had consistently distinguished itself through a customer-focused approach and commitment to professionalism.
They emphasised that public-private partnerships were vital to creating value-driven systems that would benefit the larger Nigerian economy.
Reacting to the honour and the partnership prospects, Shobo reiterated the insurer’s readiness to support the immigration office.
“We are deeply honoured by this visit and the recognition from the Nigeria Immigration Service. At Lasaco, we believe that the future of institutional growth lies in deliberate collaboration. We are fully committed to maintaining a strong, mutually beneficial relationship with the Immigration Office to improve operational efficiency and deepen trust across both sectors,” Shobo said.
The management of Lasaco Assurance further expressed gratitude, noting that the engagement had set a new benchmark for public-private alignment.
The management stated, “This courtesy visit is not just a ceremony; it is a reinforcement of our shared commitment to institutional excellence. By combining public sector dedication with private sector innovation, we can create stronger avenues for service delivery that ultimately advance our national goals.”
The engagement underscored the growing importance of continuous dialogue between government agencies and private corporations to solve modern operational challenges.
Moving forward, both organisations expressed confidence that the partnership would unlock new opportunities for strategic growth.
Lasaco Assurance Plc reaffirmed its long-term vision to deliver value-driven insurance solutions, sustain stakeholder confidence, and champion impactful collaborations that foster national progress.
Dr. Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman and chief executive officer (EVC/CEO), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has has been confirmed as a Special Guest of Honour at this year’s Africa Beacon of ICT Lectures and Awards.
Dr. Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman and chief executive officer, NCC
Africa Beacon of ICT Lectures and Awards, is widely regarded as the most prestigious annual event available in the ICT industry in Nigeria.
The event according Ken Nwogbo, editor-in-chief of Nigeria Communications Week,“is digital transformation edition” will hold on Saturday, May 30, 2026 at the Four Points by Sheraton, Lagos.
Africa’s BoICT Lecture is designed to explore efforts to put Nigeria on the global Information and Communications Technologies map.
It will also to recognise and celebrate organisations and individuals in the ICT and banking industries that have impacted in digital transformation of the economy.
Nwogbo said that Dr. Maida, oversees the regulation, development, and strategic direction of the Nigerian telecommunications industry.
His administration at the NCC, actively drives initiatives to improve telecom consumer experience, enhance infrastructure, and foster collaborations (such as with the Central Bank of Nigeria) to protect citizens from financial fraud
He holds a PhD in Electrical & Electronic Engineering from the University of Bath, UK.
Prior to joining the NCC, he served as the Executive Director, Technology and Operations at the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS).
At NIBSS, Dr. Maida was responsible for spearheading the technical and operational standardization of all devices deployed in the financial system in Nigeria for interoperability.
He led a dynamic team that ensured that all terminals used in the e-payment industry and all devices deployed in Nigeria would accept all cards issued by banks and other licensed card schemes without discrimination.
Prior to his appointment at NIBSS, Maida was the Chief Technical Officer (CTO) at the Nigerian-based FinTech Arca Payments Network and Senior Manager at Cisco Systems, United Kingdom.
As a seasoned technical professional with over 15 years of multi-functional and international experience in FinTech & Telecoms & Enterprise Technology, Dr. Maida between 2010 and 2014, worked as a Network Design Consultant at EE, part of BT Group, and one of the largest mobile communications companies in the UK.
He was also at some point (2006-2010) a System Engineer at Ubiquisys, a leading company in intelligent 3G and LTE small cells, which is now part of Cisco.
Dr. Maida will be joining will join top dignitaries who have graced the event in the past including: Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, former executive vice-chairman, Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC); Engr. Yomi Bolarinwa, former Director-General of National Broadcasting Commission (NBC); Dr. Jean Luc Fort, CEO at OR System France and a specialist in Counterparty Risk; and Professor Chris Nwagboso, Chairman, Knowledge Factory International, United Kingdom.
Others are: Chris Uwaje, chairman, Mobile Software Solutions Ltd; Uche Orji, former managing director/chief executive officer, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA); Biodun Omoniyi, Managing Director/CEO, VDT Communications; and John Obaro, CEO and founder of Systemspecs; Dr. Isa Pantanmi, former DG, NITDA; Dr. Obadare Peter Adewale, co-founder and COO, Digital Encode Limited; among others.
The highpoint of the BoICT Lecture will be the conferment of awards to companies and individuals for their significant contributions to the growth of technology in Nigeria and indeed Africa.
The event is a five-star event; easily Nigeria’s ICT Oscars.
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