Voting opens for 2026 Almond Insurance Industry Awards as organisers unveil nominees

Nike Popoola

The Awards Panel of Judges for the 2026 Almond Insurance Industry Awards, led by Sir Ogala Osoka, MFR, has officially released the names of nominees across the various Award categories, at a well-attended press conference in Lagos state, thereby declaring the commencement of public voting.

The nomination exercise, which lasted for one month, attracted nominations from Insurance and Broking Firms, Corporate Organizations, Individual Clients, Government Agencies and other stakeholders across the Insurance Industry, Following a rigorous screening exercise based strictly on the Awards Criteria. 796 nominations successfully emerged across the various Award categories.

While this represents a slight reduction from the 914 nominations received in 2025, the Panel noted that the figure reflects a more refined nomination process and stricter compliance with the Awards Guidelines, ensuring that only deserving individuals and organizations made the final shortlist.

The companies and Individuals that made the final cut and emerged as the Nominees in this year’s Award categories are:

General Insurance Company of the Year
Rex Insurance Limited
Leadway Assurance Company Limited
Capital Express Indemnity Insurance Co. Ltd
Coronation General Insurance Ltd
FIN Insurance Company Ltd
NEM Insurance Plc

Life Insurance Company of the Year
Leadway Assurance Co. Ltd
Coronation Life Assurance Ltd
Capital Express Assurance Company Limited
Heirs Life Assurance Limited
Stanbic IBTC Life Insurance Ltd
Mutual Benefits Life Assurance Ltd

Insurance Broking Company of the Year
SCIB Nigeria & Co. Ltd
Ark Insurance Brokers
Stanbic IBTC Insurance Brokers
Glanvill Enthoven Insurance Brokers
FBN Insurance Brokers
Hogg Robinson Nigeria Ltd

Insurance CEO of the Year
Mr Gboyega Alesi – MD/CEO, Leadway Assurance Company Ltd
Mrs Ebelechukwu Nwachukwu – MD/CEO, Rex Insurance Ltd
Mr Stephen Alangbo – MD/CEO, Cornerstone Insurance Plc
Mr Adewale Koko – MD/CEO, Capital Express Indemnity Insurance Ltd
Mr Olamide Olajolo – MD/CEO, Coronation General Insurance Ltd
Mrs Adaobi Nwakuche – MD/CEO, Veritas Kapital Assurance Plc

Insurance Woman of the Year
Mrs Ebelechukwu Nwachukwu – MD/CEO, Rex Insurance Limited
Dr Adaobi Nwakuche – MD/CEO, Veritas Kapital Assurance Plc
Mrs Adetutu Arusiuka – Deputy President, Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN)
Mrs Muibat Jimoh – Executive Director, Coronation Life Assurance Ltd
Mrs Abimbola Akinloye – Head of Underwriting, Cornerstone Insurance Plc
Mrs Mary Adeyanju – MD/CEO, Consolidated Hallmark Insurance Limited

Micro Insurance Company of the Year
Casava Microinsurance Ltd
Lifeguard Microinsurance Ltd
Prudent Choice Microinsurance Ltd
Ally Microinsurance Ltd
Goxi Microinsurance Ltd
New Dawn Microinsurance Ltd

Takaful Insurance Company of the Year
Noor Takaful Insurance Ltd
Hilal Takaful Insurance Ltd
Jaiz Takaful Insurance Ltd
Crown Takaful Insurance Ltd
Salam Takaful Insurance Ltd

Insurance Broker of the Year
Mr Solanke Ogunlana – MD/CEO, SCIB Nigeria & Co. Ltd
Mr Kayode Awogboro – MD/CEO, Ark Insurance Brokers Ltd
Dr Olasupo Falana – MD/CEO, Glanvill Enthoven Insurance Brokers
Mrs Enitan Solarin – MD/CEO, YOA Insurance Brokers Ltd
Mr Saheed Egbeyemi – MD/CEO, Hogg Robinson Nigeria Ltd
Dr (Mrs) Funmi Babington-Ashaye – MD/CEO, Risk Analyst Insurance Brokers Limited

Most Valuable Insurance Customer of the Year
Dangote Group
NNPC Limited
Air Peace Limited
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)
Hitech Construction Company Limited
M. L. Lee Group of Companies
PricewaterhouseCoopers Nigeria (PwC)

Speaking at the Press Conference in Lagos, the Chairman of the Awards Panel of Judges, Sir Ogala Osoka MFR, stated that winners in the various categories will be determined through a combination of public votes (10%), the Judges’ assessment (10%), and Industry Data (80%).

In the continuation of efforts to preserve the credibility and integrity of the Awards, the One- Time Password (OTP) verification system introduced during the previous edition will once again be deployed throughout this year’s voting exercise to eliminate duplicate Voting. The Panel therefore encourages nominees, their clients, colleagues and members of the public to participate by casting their votes via the Awards website: www.almondinsuranceindustryawards.com
Voting remains FREE, and both companies and individual clients are eligible to vote once in each award category.

Voting will close on the 6th of September 2026 to allow the Awards Panel conclude its final assessment ahead of the 2026 Almond Insurance Industry Awards and Consumers’ Nite which will hold at The Stable Event center 45, Bode Thomas Street Surulere Lagos, on the 6th of November, where the winners will be unveiled in an evening dedicated to celebrating excellence within Nigeria’s Insurance Industry.

The purpose of the awards remains unchanged; recognizing and rewarding the outstanding efforts of the men and women across the different arms of the industry who work tirelessly to promote and sell insurance, often in challenging circumstances, as well as companies leading the change in their operations and delivering value to stakeholders.

Since its inception in 2018, the Awards has evolved into the biggest nite on the Insurance Industry calendar, bringing together industry practitioners, policymakers, corporate leaders, entertainers and the general public for an unforgettable celebration of excellence.

As always, this epoch-making event will feature some of Nigeria’s finest entertainers in music, comedy and dance.