Wednesday 25 February 2015

WELCOME SPEECH DELIVERED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE NIGERIAN COUNCIL OF REGISTERED INSURANCE BROKERS, MR AYODAPO A SHODERU AT THE 2015 FELLOWS DAY CUM AWARD OF FELLOWS HELD AT SHERATON HOTEL, IKEJA, LAGOS ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2015

• The Commissioner for Insurance and Special Guest, Mr Fola Daniel
• Chairman of Society of Fellows, Dr. Mohammed H. Koguna, FCIB
• Chairman of the Board of Fellows, Chief Babajide Olatunde AgbejaFCIB, Members of the Governing Board
• Distinguished Fellows
• Ladies and Gentlemen
It is my honour and greatest delight to welcome you all to the 2015 Fellows Day cum Induction of new Fellows of our Council.  I am particularly elated and fulfilled that this great event isholding in the course of my tenure as President.
As you are all aware, the aspiration of any professional to the pinnacle of his chosen field or profession stands as the greatest sense of fulfillment that one could have in a chosen career or professional calling. It is in realization of this fact that the NCRIB has continued to provide opportunity for insurance broking professionals in its fold to transition to the Fellowship cadre, which is the highest echelon of the Council’s professional status. Aside from being a source of motivation, admission to the prestigious Society of Fellows of the Council is also consistent with section 5 of the NCRIB Act which makes provision for who could become a Fellow and spelt our conditions precedent to admission as a Fellow. Permit me to give glowing commendations to the Council’s Board of Fellows, under its indefatigable Chairman, Chief Babajide Olatunde-Agbeja, FCIB for a great job done. The Board had put in place stringent conditions and were meticulous in the course of assessing and recommending the successful candidates who being admitted today. It must not escape mention that this is the first time that prospective Fellows would be required to present thesis as a prerequisite for Fellowship admission. Aside from aligning with contemporary standards in other notable professional bodies policy, the exercise greatly exposed the professional and academic potentials of the applicants,  projecting them as rounded professionals. I like to affirm that this new initiative has now been approved as an extant condition for admission of Fellows henceforth. 
Ladies and Gentlemen, this occasion definitely provides me an auspicious platform to notch in the fact that the NCRIB will continue to place premium on professionalism in insurance broking practice and as such do all within the law to ensure that the thrust is sustainedI must admit that the enforcement of standards has always been known to come with its pains, but the good news is that the result will ultimately be to the benefit of all. My take is that there can never be an alternative way to maintain respect or be dignified in the comity of other professionals if we jettison professionalism and ethical standard which are pivots of our operation. What distinguishes our a professional body from a mere trade group is the fact that members in a professional setting meet certain prescribed professional standards and have the resolve to continually update their skills to meet contemporary challenges.
Whilst congratulating the new Fellows, would also like to encourage those who could not make the list this year to see it as a challenge to do better next timeTo the new Fellows; it is my duty to admonish you to see your admission as the provision of higher pedestal of service and contribution to the growth of insurance broking. Gone are the days when professionals could go to sleep whenever they have attained the pinnacle of their professional height. The truth is that the world has become more dynamic and operators who are to succeed must adapt and continually attune themselves to new knowledge and the breaking of new frontiers of personal development. Most importantly you must see to it that you become relentless in giving back to this noble profession through your accelerated contributions to Council. I dare say that with your new elevated status, you are now a face of the NCRIB, warranting that you uphold the ideals of the Council anywhere you go. In order to ensure the continuous growth and vibrancy of insurance broking, you must provide effective mentorship to the upcoming professionals. This appeal was better captured in the words of a renowned philosopher, Edwin Brown who admonished all professionals to “always aspire to inspire before they expire!”. I wish you all well.
I must not conclude my speech without appreciating the presence of one of the most celebrated professionals of our time; a board room guru and renowned technocrat, Dr. Christopher Kolade, CON for accepting to give the induction talk today. I was most delighted and humbled beyond measure that Dr Kolade did not have any iota of hesitation in accepting to undertake the task for us when I contacted him. This is inspite of his known watertight engagements. Dr Kolade is to share with us his robust experiential and professional on the subject:“Leading: The Heart before the Hand”. Without preempting him, surmise that Dr Kolade will be directing the thoughts of the new Fellows and everyone here to the fact that as professional leaders the onus is now on us to lead with the heart through understanding and empathy for the followers. I am convinced that we shall all have a rewarding experience listening to him.
Once again I welcome and wish you all a delightful Fellows Day.

AYODAPO A. SHODERU, FIIN, FCIB
PRESIDENT/CHAIRMAN GOVERNING BOARD
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