The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Dangote Group have been shortlisted among leading corporate organisations competing for the Most Valuable Insurance Customer of the Year at the 2026 Almond Insurance Industry Awards.
The nominations were unveiled in Lagos following the opening of public voting for this year’s awards, with the Awards Panel of Judges, led by Sir Ogala Osoka, announcing the final contenders across multiple categories.
The recognition places major corporate insurance buyers at the centre of this year’s awards, highlighting the growing importance of insurance in corporate risk management and business continuity across Nigeria.
The nomination process attracted entries from insurance companies, brokers, government institutions, corporate organisations and individual policyholders nationwide. A total of 796 nominations successfully passed the screening process, compared with 914 nominations recorded in 2025.
Osoka attributed the lower number to a more rigorous selection process and tighter compliance with the awards’ guidelines.
He said the refined process was designed to ensure that only individuals and organisations meeting the required standards progressed to the final stage.
Corporate insurance buyers in spotlight
The Most Valuable Insurance Customer of the Year category features some of Nigeria’s largest corporate and institutional organisations.
Alongside Dangote Group and the CBN, the shortlist includes NNPC Limited, Air Peace Limited, Hitech Construction Company Limited, M. L. Lee Group of Companies and PricewaterhouseCoopers Nigeria.
The category provides a measure of recognition for organisations that play a significant role in the insurance market through their approach to risk management, insurance utilisation and engagement with the industry.
The awards also feature a broad representation of Nigeria’s insurance market, spanning general insurance, life insurance, broking, microinsurance and takaful.
Insurers compete across major categories
In the General Insurance Company of the Year category, the shortlisted companies are Rex Insurance, Leadway Assurance, Capital Express Indemnity Insurance, Coronation General Insurance, FIN Insurance and NEM Insurance.
The Life Insurance Company of the Year category features Leadway Assurance, Coronation Life Assurance, Capital Express Assurance, Heirs Life Assurance, Stanbic IBTC Life Insurance and Mutual Benefits Life Assurance.
Six companies are also competing for Insurance Broking Company of the Year. They are SCIB Nigeria, Ark Insurance Brokers, Stanbic IBTC Insurance Brokers, Glanvill Enthoven Insurance Brokers, FBN Insurance Brokers and Hogg Robinson Nigeria.
The leadership categories feature several prominent executives from Nigeria’s insurance sector.
Contenders for Insurance CEO of the Year include Gboyega Lesi of Leadway Assurance, Ebelechukwu Nwachukwu of Rex Insurance, Stephen Alangbo of Cornerstone Insurance, Adewale Koko of Capital Express Indemnity, Olamide Olajolo of Coronation General Insurance and Adaobi Nwakuche of Veritas Kapital Assurance.
The Insurance Woman of the Year category includes Nwachukwu, Nwakuche, Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria Deputy President Adetutu Arusiuka, Muibat Jimoh of Coronation Life, Abimbola Akinloye of Cornerstone Insurance and Mary Adeyanju of Consolidated Hallmark Insurance.
Microinsurance and takaful sectors represented
The awards also recognise developments in specialised insurance segments.
Casava, Lifeguard, Prudent Choice, Ally, Goxi and New Dawn Microinsurance are competing in the Micro Insurance Company of the Year category.
In the Takaful Insurance category, the nominees are Noor, Hilal, Jaiz, Crown and Salam Takaful Insurance.
The inclusion of these categories reflects the expanding diversity of Nigeria’s insurance market and the industry’s efforts to extend insurance protection to previously underserved segments.
Industry data to determine winners
The organisers said the awards would use a multi-layered scoring system to determine winners and strengthen the credibility of the process.
According to Osoka, 80 per cent of the final score will be based on industry data, 10 per cent on judges’ assessments and 10 per cent on public voting.
The organisers will also deploy a One-Time Password verification system during the voting process to prevent duplicate votes and protect the integrity of the exercise.
The awards are expected to bring together key stakeholders from Nigeria’s insurance and wider financial services industries, providing a platform to recognise insurers, brokers, corporate customers and industry leaders contributing to the development of the sector.
