The Central Bank of Nigeria and the Dangote Group have been shortlisted alongside other corporate giants for the “Most Valuable Insurance Customer of the Year award” at the upcoming 2026 Almond Insurance Industry Awards.

The announcement was made during a press conference in Lagos following the official opening of public voting. The shortlist was unveiled by the Awards Panel of Judges, led by Sir Ogala Osoka.

The nomination exercise, which ran for one month, drew submissions from insurance underwriting firms, broking entities, government bodies, corporate organisations and individual policyholders across Nigeria. Out of the overall submissions, a total of 796 nominations successfully cleared the rigorous screening phase, marking a slight drop from the 914 nominations recorded in 2025.

Commenting on the figure, Osoka noted that the reduction reflects a more refined selection framework and stricter compliance with award guidelines, ensuring only the most deserving candidates made the final list.

“While this represents a slight reduction from the 914 nominations received in 2025, the figure reflects a more refined nomination process and stricter compliance with the Awards Guidelines, ensuring that only deserving individuals and organisations made the final shortlist,” Osoka said.

The Most Valuable Insurance Customer of the Year category features a competitive field of institutional buyers driving insurance penetration and corporate risk management in Nigeria. Shortlisted contenders in this category include the Dangote Group, Central Bank of Nigeria, NNPC Limited, Air Peace Limited, Hitech Construction Company Limited, M. L. Lee Group of Companies, and PricewaterhouseCoopers Nigeria.

Other major award categories showcase top-tier players across the financial services sector.

In the General Insurance Company of the Year category, 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 were shortlisted.

Contending for Life Insurance Company of the Year are 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. Meanwhile, the Insurance Broking Company of the Year category features Scib Nigeria & Co. Ltd, Ark Insurance Brokers, Stanbic IBTC Insurance Brokers, Glanvill Enthoven Insurance Brokers, FBN Insurance Brokers, and Hogg Robinson Nigeria Ltd.

Leadership categories also boast strong contention, with the Insurance CEO of the Year shortlist featuring 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.

Specialised sectors are equally represented in the nominations. Shortlisted entities for Micro Insurance Company of the Year include Casava, Lifeguard, Prudent Choice, Ally, Goxi, and New Dawn Microinsurance, while Noor, Hilal, Jaiz, Crown, and Salam Takaful Insurance were nominated in the Takaful Insurance category.

To ensure transparency and preserve the credibility of the awards, Osoka explained that winners across all categories will be determined through a multi-tiered scoring matrix comprising 80 per cent industry data, 10 per cent judges’ assessment, and 10 per cent public votes.

“In the continuation of efforts to preserve the credibility and integrity of the Awards, the One-Time Password verification system introduced during the previous edition will once again be deployed throughout this year’s voting exercise to eliminate duplicate voting,” he stated.

Reiterating the core objective of the initiative, the panel chair added, “The purpose of the awards remains unchanged: recognising and rewarding the outstanding efforts of the men and women across the different arms of the industry who work tirelessly to promote and sell insurance, often in challenging circumstances, as well as companies leading the change in their operations and delivering value to stakeholders.”

Public voting is free and will run until 6 September 2026, via the awards’ official website. The process will culminate in a grand presentation ceremony at the 2026 Almond Insurance Industry Awards and Consumers’ Nite on 6 November 2026, at The Stable Event Centre, Bode Thomas Street, Surulere, Lagos.

First held in 2018, the Almond Insurance Industry Awards aim to recognise practitioners, brokers, corporate buyers and underwriting firms operating under tough macroeconomic conditions, while driving public awareness and deepening insurance penetration across Nigeria.