President Koroma Decorates Goodluck Jonathan
President Dr Ernest Bai Koroma on Wednesday 17th July decorated President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with the Grand Patron of the West African Insurance Institution as Alumnus. The award was in recognition of Nigeria’s support to the Institute and the current administration’s leadership role in the sub-region. The event took place at the Federal Executive Council Chambers, Abuja, Nigeria.
In his laudation, President Koroma described the day as special and said he was bestowing honour on his Nigerian counterpart not only because of the role played in the sub-region and West Africa as a whole, but also because of the support to the Institution since its establishment.
President Koroma pointed that he owes this to Nigeria being an Alumnus of the West African Insurance Institution which has made him what he is today and has given him the vast experience that has made him successful in the discharge of his duties as President of Sierra Leone. The President expressed gratitude to the founders of the Institution most of whom are also Nigerians, and also profusely thanked his brother and colleague for the leadership he continues to show in the West African sub-region. He noted that it is his fervent belief that the efforts and continued leadership shown by President Goodluck Jonathan should be acknowledged and that is why they were at the Executive Council Chambers to appreciate his leadership role in the sub-region, ECOWAS, West Africa and the Insurance Institute.
President Koroma said in appreciation and recognition of his leadership role and Nigeria’s support to the Institute they are conferring the Award of Grand Patron of WAII on His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The President said he hopes that the conferment of the Award will further encourage him to continue to support not only the Institution but the entire ECOWAS sub-region.
Accepting the Award, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan said he felt honoured to be called upon by an esteem Institution to serve as Grand Patron, saying the “Insurance Industry is an important ingredient to any country’s economic growth”. He assured the Governing Council that his government will continue to show adequate support to the institution and further assured them of his readiness to continue supporting them to enable them achieve the objectives set out by the founding fathers. The Nigerian President also appreciated the Governing Council and other stakeholders for the great honor bestowed on him, his government and country.
In his brief remarks, Principal Secretary to President Jonathan, Ambassador Hassan Tukur said the West African Insurance Institute (WAII) was established in 1978 by the West African Insurance Companies Association in collaboration with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Monrovia, Liberia. He maintained that the objective of the Institute was the training and development of technical insurance manpower for the insurance sector of West Africa, noting that currently WAII has graduated well over four thousand individuals including President Dr Ernest Bai Koroma.
Ambassador Hassan Tukur noted that many of the graduates of WAII stand out as first class insurance professionals saying the current President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, who is an Alumnus of the Institute, had a distinguished insurance career before his entry into national politics. He disclosed that as Alumnus of the Institution, President Dr Ernest Bai Koroma was informed that the Governing Council had approved the Award of Grand Patron of WAII be conferred on President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. This, the Principal Secretary to the Nigerian President said, was in recognition of Nigeria’s support to the institution and the current administration’s leadership role in the sub-region.
Meanwhile the West African Insurance Institute Governing Council, called on President Ernest Bai Koroma to thank him for conferring the Award on Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan at his Transcop Hilton Hotel Presidential Suite in Abuja, Nigeria.
The Head of the delegation registered their thanks and appreciation to President Koroma for performing the duty as an Alumnus of the Institute and assured him that they will continue to live up to expectations in their bid to expand and fortify the gains already made by the institution.
President Koroma also thank them for their efforts saying it was the least they could do for WAII and expressed delight that as an Institution they have created the right impact . The President encouraged them to continue with the efforts as a lot is still expected of them as an Institution adding that he was very much impressed with the diverse ways they are building the image of WAII.
Also in Abuja, President Ernest Bai Koroma held bilateral talks with President Alassan Quattara of Cote D’ivoire where they discussed issues pertaining to the sub- region and West Africa as a whole.
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