2026 Awards Panelists

The 2026 Almond Insurance Industry Awards Panelists are seasoned industry leaders, experts, and professionals chosen to evaluate, judge, or discuss nominees for prestigious honours, ensuring integrity, transparency, and merit in the selection process. They hold high-level positions and contribute to evaluating nominee credentials to celebrate excellence. Meet the 2026 Almond Insurance Industry Awards Panelists

Sir (Dr.) Ogala OSOKA, MFR (Chairman)

Sir (Dr.) Ogala Osoka's Profile

Sir (Dr.) Ogala Osoka studied Insurance at the City of London College (now London Metropolitan University) and the University of Nottingham. He is a Fellow of the Insurance Institute of London and the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria. He attended several Management Development Courses in the UK, Switzerland, Germany and the USA, including the Kellogg School of Management. Sir (Dr.) Osoka belongs to several professional bodies, including the British Institute of Management (Fellow), the Chartered Institute of Admin Management of Nigeria (Fellow), the Nigeria Institute of Management (Fellow), the Institute of Public Relations (Fellow), and the Loss Prevention Association of India (Member), to mention just a few.

In the decades of his involvement in the Corporate World, Sir (Dr.) Ogala Osoka has held different top management positions. He was a pioneer Senior Management Staff of Nigeria Reinsurance Corporation, from where he established and managed the Continental Reinsurance Company, one of Africa’s leading reinsurance companies. He was subsequently appointed Managing Director/CEO of NICON Insurance Corporation and later Managing Director/CEO of Nigeria Reinsurance Corporation.

During the over two decades of active service in the Insurance and Finance Sector, Sir (Dr.) Ogala Osoka was Chairman and Director of several other organisations, including Banks, Media, hospitality, and Industry generally. He was Chairman of NICON Noga Hilton Hotel (Transcorp Hilton Hotels, Abuja), Abuja Sheraton Hotels & Towers. Inland Containers Nig. Ltd., SOFITEC Hotel Abuja, Golden Guinea Breweries Plc, First International Bank, Gambia, International Ins. Co. Gambia, Afribank Nig. Plc, Beco Petroleum Plc, Enterprise Bank Ltd., International Ins. Co. Guinea SA, Daily Times of Nig. Plc, Cappa D’Alberto Plc, First International Bank, Liberia, Sovereign Trust Ins. Co. Plc, Dunlop Nig. Plc, HSI Refining and Petrochemicals Plc, Member of Council, Abia State University, amongst others.

Sir (Dr.) Ogala Osoka has, over the years, received several Awards and honours, including Prize Winner and Chartered Ins. Inst. of Nigeria; Academic Award Winner, Federation of Afro-Asian Insurers and Reinsurers (FAIR), Egypt; Honorary Doctorate Degree in Business Management, World University Roundtable Arizona USA; Man of the Year, Association of Senior Staff of Banks and Financial Institutions; Merit Award (Insurance Development in Africa), African Insurance Organization (AIO) Cameroun; Distinguished Award, Nigeria Institute of Management; Award of Recognition of Exceptional Service, West African Ins. Co. Association (WAICA), Ghana; Insurance Leadership Award, Nigeria Insurers Association; Fellowship Award, West African Insurance Institute, Gambia; National Honour, Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR). He was recognised with the Insurance Industry Life Achievement Award in 2024.

Sir (Dr.) Osoka is a devoted Christian who has continued to serve the Church of God in several capacities. He is one of the leaders of the Methodist Church in Nigeria and has been recognised as such. He is currently one of the Investment Advisers of the Church and Chairman of the Housing Fund for Methodist Ministers. He also holds the Order of Knight of John Wesley (KJW).

He has published many articles on Insurance and Management and authored some books, including Planning Your Retirement - Key to Future Happiness.  He is married to Barr. Elizabeth Osoka and has five children

See Sir Ogala Osoka's Profile

Mr Rotimi OKPAISE (Vice Chairman)

Rotimi Okpaise's Profile

Mr Rotimi Okpaise is the Executive Chairman of Zamara Nigeria. He has over 30 years of professional experience as a consulting Actuary. Prior to joining Zamara, Rotimi served as a partner at Ernst & Young Nigeria, where he led the insurance sector and Actuarial practices.

Mr Okpaise’s remarkable contribution extends beyond traditional actuarial roles, notably serving as Adviser to the Ministry of Health in Nigeria and playing a pivotal role in establishing the Country’s National Health Insurance Scheme, where he served as the Scheme’s actuary for over 15 years.

He also served as the Statutory Reporting Actuary to prominent Insurers in Nigeria. Ghana, Sierra Leone and The Gambia, highlighting his deep-rooted understanding of the regional Insurance Landscape.

He holds a B.Sc. in Statistics from the University of Ibadan and is a Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, United Kingdom, and an Associate of the Society of Actuaries, USA.   

See Mr Rotimi Okpaise's Profile

Dr. Obinna CHILEKEZIE (Secretary)

Dr. Obinna Chilekezie's Profile

Obinna Chilekezi has more than 30 years of experience in the Nigerian insurance industry. He had worked as the head of Research and editor of the Nigeria Insurance Digest at the Nigerian Insurers Association. He had worked with two insurance broking firms as Managing Director. He holds both a first degree and a master's in insurance and a PhD in entrepreneurship. He is an insurance researcher and consultant and currently lectures at the Redeemer’s University, Ede; the University of The Gambia, Banjul; and the West African Insurance Institute, The Gambia.

Obinna is a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria, Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers and the West African Insurance Institute, The Gambia. He is the author of 12 books, one of which won the African Insurance Organisation’s Book Award in 2016. He has many journal articles to his credit in professional and academic journals. He is a visiting lecturer at the West African Insurance Institute and serves as an examiner to many professional bodies in the country.

He is an examiner for many professional bodies on insurance and has been the Secretary of the Almond Insurance Award Committee since 2022. Obinna is a member of the publicity committee of the NCRIB.

See Dr Obinna Chilekezie's Profile

Mr Rasaaq Obomeile SALAMI

Rasaaq Obomeile SALAMI's Profile

Mr Salami, Rasaaq Obomeile is the Head, Corporate Communications and Market Development at the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), the apex insurance industry regulatory authority in Nigeria. He is a thorough-bred professional with vast knowledge and experience in communications, media relations, public relations/stakeholders’ management, brand management & marketing, procurement, market development, regulation and hands-on management of human and material resources spanning over two decades uninterrupted.

During these years, Mr Salami had traversed both the media and insurance sectors in Nigeria, leaving indelible marks along the way. He started his journalism career at the old Daily Times Newspaper, where he worked briefly before joining the now-defunct African Concord magazine. He reached the pinnacle of his journalism career when he became Deputy Editor and Head of the Abuja Bureau at Policy Magazine in 2001.

Prior to his engagement at NAICOM in 2009, Mr Salami was the Head of Advertising and Marketing Department of Businessday Newspaper, Abuja, having left Daily Independent Newspaper in the same capacity in 2007.

Since joining NAICOM, he has remained a key player in the supervisory and regulatory activities not only at the Commission but also in the entire financial services sector, both within and outside the country. He is currently the chairman of the Financial Market Development Sub-Committee of the Financial Services Regulatory Coordinating Committee (FSRCC) – a body comprising the CBN, FIRS, NAICOM, PenCom, NDIC, SEC, CAC, FRC, NGX, Federal Ministry of Finance and others.

He is a standing member of the planning committee of the Insurance Industry Consultative Council, IICC; a member of the Publicity and Communication Sub-Committee of the Insurers Committee and was a member of the Organising Committee of the 2021 Africa Insurance Organisation, AIO Conference held in Lagos, Nigeria.

He was part of the planning process for the formation of the West Africa Insurance Supervisors’ Association (WAISA) – a body comprising Heads of Insurance Regulatory Authorities in the West African sub-region.

It is instructive to note that, as Head of the CFI’s Directorate, Mr Salami supervised and coordinated the activities of key departments within the Commission between 2017 and 2020. These departments include: Information Technology, Procurement, Market Development, Corporate Affairs, SERVICOM, and Financial Inclusion. He supervised the process that led to the birth of several Microinsurance and Takaful companies, as well as the NAICOM Portal, in the Nigerian insurance sector.

As the spokesperson of NAICOM, Mr Salami brought his experience to bear on the job and ensured a complete transformation of the system, notably in information dissemination and management. It is to his credit that the Commission has maintained an excellent relationship with the media.

Mr Salami is a graduate of Mass Communication and holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Administration, CIA; Member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, NIPR and Member of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria, APCON.

He is happily married with children.

See Mr Rasaaq Obomeile Salami's Profile

Jean Chiazor ANISHERE, SAN

Jean Chiazor ANISHERE (SAN) Profile

Jean Chiazor Anishere is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and one of Nigeria’s most prominent Maritime lawyers and a successful author, having already written five volumes of Essays in Admiralty – a comprehensive collection of essays and learned papers focused on maritime law, published by one of the UK's prominent publishers in Maritime books – Petrospot UK. Jean’s books are also found in the British Council Libraries.

Jean is the Editor–in–Chief of Admiralty Law Reports of Nigeria, volumes 1 – 32(A compendium of Judgments on Admiralty Matters in Nigeria, through the Federal High Court, to the Supreme Court of Nigeria) with a comprehensive index of cases published so far.

Jean holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree (LL.B) from the University of Ife, Ile-Ife, 1985 (Now Obafemi Awolowo University); Master of Laws, LL.M from the University of Lagos, Akoka in 1994 and a Master's in Transport Management from Ladoke Akintola University, 1995. Certificate of Merit in Shipping (Anatomy of Shipping) from the Cambridge Academy of Transport, UK, in 1996.  Jean was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1986 and sworn in as a Notary Public by the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1990.

 Awarded International Woman of the Year (1997-1998) by the International Biographical Centre of Cambridge, in recognition of her services to law, and the International Professional of the Year 2005, for her excellent practice in the field of law. Jean's numerous awards for her sterling contributions to the maritime industry, both at home and abroad, are a testament to her admirable skills and intellect. 

Founding member of the Committee of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, in collaboration with the National Judicial Institute, on the bi-annual Maritime Seminar for Judges. Ex-Officio Member of the Nigerian Maritime Law Association (NMLA), Jean presided as Co-Chair of the Nigerian Admiralty Law and Procedure Reform Committee, 2020; Active member of International Chamber of Commerce, Nigeria (ICC-NIGERIA); Co-Chair of the ICC Centenary and ICC-Africa Conferences Planning Committee, Member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration, Paris; Member of the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA); International Bar Association; Nigerian Bar Association; Chairman, Welfare Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association, Lagos branch; Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Consultative Council (NPCC); Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators- UK (FCIArb); Council Member of the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping; Fellow of the  Institute of Directors in Nigeria and UK; Vice President of Maritime Arbitrators Association of Nigeria (MAAN); Fellow, Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (FCILT); Past President, Women’s International Shipping and Trade Association (WISTA-Nigeria); Past President, African Women in Maritime Organization (WIMA-Nigeria); Past Continental President, Women in Maritime Africa (WIMAFRICA); United Nations/African Union sole representative for African Women in Maritime (WIMAFRICA); Financial Secretary to the Board of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN); Jean is cited in Who's Who Legal in Nigeria.

Jean is the Principal Partner of Jean Chiazor and Partners, a law firm situated in a high-brow area at 4 Park Lane, Apapa, Lagos, Nigeria.

See Jean Chiazor Anishere's (SAN) Profile

Mr Hakeem OGUNNIRAN

Mr Hakeem OGUNNIRAN's Profile

Mr Hakeem Ogunniran is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Eximia Realty Co. Ltd. and Mercury Nominees Investments Ltd. He is also the Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Lagos Building Investment Co. Plc and a Non-Executive Director of Reall, UK and some other companies.

He is a leading thought leader on African real estate structuring, funding and delivery and has been described as having a ‘unique understanding of the connection between financial models, capital markets and brick and mortar all within the context of Africa’s complex and challenging operating environment’.

He retired from UAC of Nigeria Plc in 2018, having served as the Managing Director of UACN Property Development Co. Plc (UPDC) and Managing Director of MDS Logistics (a Division of UAC of Nigeria PLC).  Prior to his illustrious stint with UACN, he was at various times a Law Lecturer, Company Secretary/Legal Adviser, Sales/Marketing Manager and Corporate Planning Manager. He was named one of the top 20 CEOs of the Listed Companies on the Nigerian Stock Exchange for 2013.

He is a member of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT), the worldwide representative voice for REITs and listed real estate companies; a former President and Chairman of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN), and an Executive Committee Member of the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce.

See Mr Hakeem Ogunniran's Profile
Facebook X-twitter Youtube Instagram
Main Menu