By Bisi Bamishe
ACCEPTANCE SPEECH OF THE 52ND PRESIDENT OF THE CHARTERED INSURANCE INSTITUTE OF NIGERIA, MRS. YETUNDE O. ILORI
PROTOCOLS
It is with great joy in my heart that I offer my deepest gratitude to God for His grace upon my life and I like to affirm that it is nothing short of miracle that I am here, to accept with all sense of responsibility the esteemed position of the 52nd President of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria
I consider it a great privilege and honour today to stand before this great audience, made up of eminent personalities that have contributed to and affected my life positively in no small way. Some have known me from the time of my birth about 63 years ago, some watched me grow into the woman that I have become now, some were childhood playmates, some came along as school mates at various levels, professional colleagues in and outside different work places, fellow labourers in the vineyard, friends, family members and others that have come from far and near. I will not fail to recognize specially the distinguished and honourable legislators, government officials I met while on different assignments. I am deeply humbled by your presence to witness this special occasion in my career growth.
It is quite apposite at this point to profoundly appreciate the founders and past leaders of our Institute for laying the solid moulding blocks on which I will, by the God grace, be building upon as President. In spite of the daunting challenges that faced the Institute, these great heroes, fuelled by selfless devotion, have bequeathed to us all an enviable institution to be proud of. I promise not to deviate from these sound ideals as I accept the esteemed position of the 52nd President of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria. I am grateful for the trust you have placed in me to lead our Institute into a new era of growth, innovation, and excellence.
I will like to quote Henry W. Longfellow that says “The heights by great women reached and kept, were not achieved by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night”
This is not a sudden achievement, but a journey of over 10 years, with a story behind it, having many actors that may never be known except the story is told. I want to recognise and appreciate Barrister Moshood Akinyemi who in 2014 put a call through to me, asking that I put in my application to contest for a seat on CIIN Council. In his word he said “madam you are doing so much on the Board of the College why not join the Council”. My response was no, all I wanted was to impact knowledge and I felt College, where I represented NIA was the right place to achieve that. He explained why I must join the Council and reason prevailed, so I started the journey. I seize this opportunity to once again appreciate all professional colleagues that voted for me to be elected in to the Council for the first time in year 2014 and subsequently to be re-elected in years 2017 and 2020 when I promised to Continuously, Conscientiously and Constructively serve to our dear Institute.
I have since then been offered various platforms to live out the promise, big thank you fellow Council members for your support. Knowing that “great acts are made up of small deeds” I seize this occasion to particularly recognize people like Mr. Eddie Efekoha who put me forth to serve in various capacities, of significant importance is chairing the Insurance Industry Consultative Committee that delivered one of the best National Insurance Conference with the then Minister of Finance in attendance.
Words cannot express the depth of my gratitude at this extraordinary moment to several people that I had the privilege of working with and have been my role models. Whatever strength you have and you can see in me is the deposit you made into my life. Worthy of mention is Mr. Wole Akinwande, who early in my work life brought the best out of me, he believed so much in me to achieve good result on any given assignment, made me part of his think tank, demanded excellence in all I did. He expected me to be an avid reader and have opinion on any issue raised.
On a day like this, I cannot but celebrate the memory of my late father who, with my mum now 91years old, gave me and of course my siblings good foundation in life. From you, Daddy, I learnt hard work, tenacity and resilience. You never said for once that I should never explore and helped to build my confidence of expression. Same for my late husband who provided unreserved and all-round support as I was rising in my chosen career. You effortlessly allow me to be myself, it was no issue to you when we sometimes had to switch roles to accommodate the demands of work. Though I miss you every day, I have managed all you left, I hope you are proud of all I have done since you left.
To my children who have been my greatest fans, cheerleaders and friends, I appreciate your understanding and outstanding support. You have been the reason why I have remained my best because you believe and never failed to tell me that I am the best mum anyone can ever wish for. Thank you for making motherhood a fun despite my ever-crowded responsibilities across many phases.
Today as I willingly, without coercion accept to be the 52nd President of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria, the 8th woman to take on the role, I know expectations are high. I am going to have to compete with myself to surpass my achievements in my previous roles especially as the Director General of NIA. I am coming on board at a time when economically it looks like the world is coming down. We must come out of economic crisis a better industry than we got in and there is real urgency to get this done. The industry in Nigeria has no semblance of what we have in some developed climes. I must say this is the 3rd time in the last 2 decades that enormous amount of money is spent in charting a course to transform the industry. It is time to execute the strategy, we all (all arms) have put together, and it should not be wasted. It will be a shame to have someone from outside the industry to come and fix our pieces together and give us the edifice we have always longed for. It is not mere coincidence that I am appearing on the stage of life as part of the orchestra that will be playing for now. I love the scripture that says “a wise woman builds…..”, as a woman, I believe I am created to build and by His grace I will.
We have an advantage of having some of the founders and leaders still standing above the ground, notable among them is the Doyen of Insurance, Olola Olabode Ogunlana, OFR. To you, Sirs and Mas, it is not time to fizzle out. You are still very relevant in the scheme of things. It is also time to give the young brains a voice, the members in diaspora will not be side-lined either. I believe that together, we can overcome any challenges that come our way and achieve our goals. I look forward to working with all of you in making CIIN a beacon of excellence not only in the insurance industry in Nigerian but in the Global professional landscape.
To the numerous companies that made this event happen, you are appreciated beyond words, you gave the Chairman of the planning Committee reason to change the target about three times. Reward for good work is more work, your support will still be needed throughout my tenure. I recognize my dream team that worked and drew up their perceived gaps that must be focused on in executing my agenda, work is about to start. My Chaperons, you are my fans, and I am encouraged to know you are going to be there for me throughout my tenure in office.
I am eternally grateful to the 30-member planning committee drawn from all arms of the industry working with the indefatigable Registrar and other staff of the Institute, you are awesome. You worked tirelessly to exceed expectation; your commitment speaks volume about the greatness awaiting this our industry. May the Lord reward your labour and dedication to ensure the success of the investiture ceremony.
Thank you all, once again, for this incredible honour. Let us embark on this journey together and make history by shaping the future of insurance in Nigeria.
Mrs. Yetunde O. Ilori
52ND PRESIDENT/CHAIRMAN OF COUNCIL
