The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Dangote Group have been shortlisted alongside other major organisations for the Most Valuable Insurance Customer of the Year award at the 2026 Almond Insurance Industry Awards.
The shortlist was announced in Lagos during a press conference held to mark the official opening of public voting for this year’s awards.
The Awards Panel of Judges, led by Sir Ogala Osoka, unveiled the nominees following a month-long nomination exercise.
The exercise attracted submissions from insurance companies, broking firms, government agencies, corporate organisations and individual policyholders across Nigeria.
A total of 796 nominations successfully passed the screening process, compared with 914 nominations recorded in 2025.
Osoka said the lower number reflected a more refined nomination process and stricter compliance with the awards’ guidelines.
He said the approach was designed to ensure that only deserving individuals and organisations reached the final shortlist.
The Most Valuable Insurance Customer of the Year category features the Dangote Group, CBN, NNPC Limited, Air Peace Limited, Hitech Construction Company Limited, M. L. Lee Group of Companies and PricewaterhouseCoopers Nigeria.
The nominees represent major institutional insurance buyers whose activities contribute to insurance penetration and corporate risk management in Nigeria.
Other categories feature leading players across the insurance industry.
Rex Insurance Ltd, Leadway Assurance Co. Ltd, Capital Express Indemnity Insurance Co. Ltd, Coronation General Insurance Ltd, FIN Insurance Co. Ltd and NEM Insurance Plc are competing for General Insurance Company of the Year.
The Life Insurance Company of the Year category includes Leadway Assurance Co. Ltd, Coronation Life Assurance Ltd, Capital Express Assurance Co. Ltd, Heirs Life Assurance Ltd, Stanbic IBTC Life Insurance Ltd and Mutual Benefits Life Assurance Ltd.
For Insurance Broking Company of the Year, nominees include Scib Nigeria & Co. Ltd, Ark Insurance Brokers, Stanbic IBTC Insurance Brokers, Glanvill Enthoven Insurance Brokers, FBN Insurance Brokers and Hogg Robinson Nigeria Ltd.
The Insurance CEO of the Year category features 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.
Contenders for Insurance Woman of the Year include Ebelechukwu Nwachukwu, Adaobi 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.
The awards also recognise specialised segments of the insurance market.
Casava, Lifeguard, Prudent Choice, Ally, Goxi and New Dawn Microinsurance were shortlisted for Micro Insurance Company of the Year.
Noor, Hilal, Jaiz, Crown and Salam Takaful Insurance were nominated in the Takaful Insurance category.
Osoka said the awards would use a multi-tiered scoring system to determine winners across all categories.
Industry data will account for 80 per cent of the final score, while judges’ assessments and public votes will account for 10 per cent each.
He also said the One-Time Password verification system used during the previous edition would be deployed again to prevent duplicate voting and strengthen the integrity of the process.
Osoka said the awards were established to recognise the contributions of individuals and organisations working across the insurance industry, including those promoting insurance in challenging economic conditions.
Public voting is free and will run until September 6, 2026, through the awards’ official website.
The voting process will culminate in the 2026 Almond Insurance Industry Awards and Consumers’ Nite on November 6, 2026, at The Stable Event Centre on Bode Thomas Street, Surulere, Lagos.
First held in 2018, the Almond Insurance Industry Awards seek to recognise insurance practitioners, brokers, corporate buyers and underwriting firms while promoting public awareness and encouraging deeper insurance penetration across Nigeria.
