Protests stall N625m insurance for unity schools’ pupils

The Federal Government may have rescinded its decision to hire NICON Insurance Plc to insure 125,000 pupils in 104 unity schools across the country.

The insurance cover is intended to mitigate the consequences of the Boko Haram insurgency and other forms of insecurity in the country, especially the attack on educational institutions.

Under the scheme, each pupil is expected to pay N5,000 premium per annum. This means that the company will be raking in N625m from the schools’ 125,000 pupils’ population.

It gives NICON Insurance the power to be the sole underwriter of the policy in all the 104 unity schools scattered across the country.

However, our correspondent learnt that following the protest by some parents against the insurance scheme, the government was considering a rethink.

At the Federal Government College, Jos, the parents were asked not to pay the money. It was supposed to have been paid alongside school and other sundry fees this second term.

But a text message to the parents by the school authorities and the Parents Teachers’ Association asked parents to ignore the notice to pay, though no reason was given for the new directive.

A teacher in the school, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, however told our correspondent on Sunday that the protest from the parents was very loud and vehement.

He said, “The government is afraid of a possible backlash from the scheme because nobody was taken along in the decision process. Move over, it was their view that it was not meant to achieve anything tangible but just to enrich one man.

He described the new policy as a failure on the part of government to protect its citizens.

NICON Insurance, which once belonged to the Federal Government, was sold to business mogul, Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in 2006.

“The Students Welfare Insurance Scheme for Unity Schools is a product designed by NICON Insurance to provide the much-needed benefits under a combined personal accident and life cover for the pupils and their sponsors,” NICON spokesperson, Ade Adesokan said.

According to the company, in the case of accidental death of a pupil, the sponsor named in the policy will be entitled to N500, 000. In the event of the death of the sponsor or guardian of a pupil, the pupil will be entitled to the payment of school fees up to the year of graduation from the secondary school (maximum of N500,000).

“In the case that a pupil accidentally sustain permanent disability, he/she will be entitled to N500,000 as compensation. For accidental medical expenses, a pupil will be entitled to N50,000 for medical treatment.

“If a pupil is involved in an accidental death, the company will pay N50,000 for burial expenses,” Adesokan added.

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