Journalists have been urged to make insurance and risk management a regular part of their reporting instead of focusing on insurance only when disasters, accidents and other major incidents occur.
The call was made at a two-day seminar organised by Insurance Publication Limited and sponsored by the Africa Re Foundation/Africa Reinsurance Corporation in Lagos.
The seminar, themed “The Universe of Insurance and Journalism: Risk Everywhere, in Everything,” brought together journalists and insurance industry stakeholders to strengthen understanding of insurance, healthcare reporting and policy implementation.
Journalists should become risk interpreters
Speaking on the theme “Bridging the Information Gaps and Financial Adversities,” a Professor of Mass Communication at the University of Lagos, Adepoju Tejumaiye, urged journalists to serve as “risk interpreters” by explaining how insurance can protect individuals, businesses and governments from financial losses.
Tejumaiye identified low public awareness, mistrust of insurers, complex insurance terminology, poor claims experiences and weak enforcement of compulsory insurance requirements as some of the factors limiting insurance penetration in Nigeria.
He also cited broader socio-economic challenges as contributing to the difficulty of expanding insurance coverage.
The academic urged journalists covering disasters to look beyond the immediate incident by investigating the risks involved, the insurance protection available and whether affected individuals, businesses or public institutions had adequate coverage.
According to him, such reporting would help the public understand the practical value of insurance while also exposing gaps in risk management and compliance.
Government should lead by example
Also speaking at the seminar, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dr Omogbai Omo-Eboh, called on government to demonstrate stronger commitment to insurance by ensuring that its assets, infrastructure and employees are adequately covered.
He advocated stricter enforcement of compulsory insurance requirements and suggested linking compliance to relevant licences, permits, registrations and public procurement processes.
Omo-Eboh also recommended greater use of technology to simplify verification of insurance policies and help reduce fraud.
Healthcare reporting requires deeper scrutiny
On healthcare journalism, the Medical Director of Olive Medicare Hospital, Lagos, Dr Augustine Aipoh, urged journalists to move beyond event-driven reporting and examine whether healthcare policies were delivering their intended outcomes.
Aipoh said reporters should explain healthcare policies to the public, track their implementation and investigate their effects on patients.
He also advised journalists to verify medical facts before publishing claims or allegations involving healthcare providers and insurance companies.
Insurance reporting should cut across beats
The Lead Editor of an insurance publication, Ifeanyi Uzoma, and the Project Convener of Insurance Publication Limited, Ifeanyi Ugwuadu, urged journalists across different beats to incorporate insurance and risk management into their regular coverage.
Ugwuadu said incidents such as accidents, building collapses, fires and business failures should prompt journalists to examine related insurance coverage, regulatory compliance and the financial consequences for victims and businesses.
He said the seminar was intended to equip journalists with the knowledge required to make insurance and risk reporting part of mainstream journalism rather than an issue reserved for specialist correspondents.
The speakers maintained that more consistent and informed reporting could help improve public understanding of insurance, strengthen accountability and encourage greater attention to risk management across the economy.
