By Ngozi Onyeakusi — The Federal Government has appointed Sunday Thomas, the acting commissioner for Insurance/CEO of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) pending the appointment of a substantive Commissioner.

He takes over from Mohammed Kari, immediate past commissioner for Insurance whose four years tenure ended 30th July 2019, but was not renewed for second terms.

The appointment was announced in a letter entitled: Re: Handing Over Note: Appointment of Acting Commissioner for Insurance, referenced, F.1948/BFPIAC/S,2/24, dated August 9, 2019 and signed for Permanent Secretary, Finance by deputy director, Home Finance, A.O. Bello.

According to him, the appointment was to ensure the effective administration of the commission in line with the provisions of the National Insurance Commission Act 1997.

Thomas was appointed Deputy Commissioner for Insurance Technical by President Muhammadu Buhari On April 15, 2017, having had over three dedicates of experience in the industry, both as regulator and operator. Prior his appointment in April 2017 as Deputy Commissioner in charge of technical matters at the Commission, Thomas held the position of Director –General at the Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) for seven years from May 2010.

He is a vastly experienced and knowledgeable Insurance Professional with over 35 years uninterrupted service to the Nigerian insurance industry.

During these years, Thomas worked as a Director for seventeen (17) years at the National Insurance Commission from 1992 to December 2009 where at different times, he superintended over different departments in the technical division. He had also worked as an insurance operator for over 10 years and rose to the position of Assistant General Manager at AIICO Insurance Plc until he left in 1992 to join NAICOM.

Thomas is an active participant in the insurance industry activities and had served as member of several Committees not only within the insurance industry but the entire Financial Services Sector. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Actuarial Science and an MBA Finance both from the University of Lagos.