Insurance firms AIICO, Leadway Assurance, NEM Insurance and others are some of the companies nominated for the 2025 Almond Insurance Industry Awards.

The nominees were unveiled at a press conference in Lagos to announce the commencement of voting.

The awards had received a record number of nominations of more than 900 before the panel of judges, headed by Prisca Soares, came up with a shortlist.

The nominated life insurance companies include Leadway Assurance, AIICO Insurance, AXA Mansard, Capital Express Assurance, and Cornerstone Insurance.

In the general insurance company category, Leadway Assurance, NEM Insurance, Mutual Benefits Assurance, Custodian & Allied Insurance Company Limited, and AXA Mansard Insurance were nominated.

Nominated under the insurance broking company of the year category include SCIB Nigeria & Co, FSL Insurance Brokers, Hogg Robinson Nigeria, Ark Insurance Brokers, and YOA Insurance Brokers.

In the Insurance CEO category, AIICO’s Chief Executive Officer, Babatunde Fajemirokun; Mutual Benefits’ MD/CEO, Olufemi Asenuga; Rex Insurance’s Ebelechukwu Nwachukwu; Coronation General Insurance’s Olamide Olajolo; and AXA Mansard’s Kunle Ahmed made the cut.

Other categories include Insurance Broker of the Year, Most Valuable Insurance Customer and more.

Speaking at a press conference in Lagos, the Chairman of the Awards Panel of Judges, Ms Soares, said that winners in the various categories will emerge based on the decision of voters, which makes up 10 per cent; the judges’ decision, which also forms 10 per cent; and collated data from the National Insurance Commission, which makes up the remaining 80 per cent.

Although voting is free, companies as well as individual clients can vote just once in each of the categories. The voting process, which has commenced, will be closed on September 5, 2025, to allow for final processing by the Awards Panel of Judges before the Awards Nite on November 7, 2025, in Surulere, Lagos, where winners will be announced.

The Annual Almond Insurance Industry Awards and Consumers’ Nite was instituted to reward the “Can Do Spirit” of the men and women in the various arms of the insurance industry who strive daily to sell insurance products and services in Nigeria despite the myriads of challenges in the business environment and the low acceptability of insurance in Nigeria. The Awards were started in 2018.