The Federal Executive Council on Monday approved the renewal of the Group Life Assurance Scheme covering Federal Government employees, including the President, Vice President, ministers, permanent secretaries, civil servants, and personnel in Treasury-funded ministries, departments, and agencies.
Briefing State House correspondents after the Council’s 27th meeting at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, said the scheme covering the 2025/2026 policy year, will provide financial succour to the families of deceased federal public servants, including top-ranking government officials.
“The Federal Government has taken out a life policy on each public servant. In the unfortunate event of death, the next of kin will receive benefits to cushion the loss.
“This underscores the importance that President Bola Tinubu’s administration places on the welfare of federal workers,” Walson-Jack said.
The policy also covers key paramilitary and uniformed agencies such as the Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigeria Correctional Service, the Federal Fire Service, the Federal Road Safety Corps, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, and the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Consequently, 17 insurance underwriters were appointed to manage the policy, which is renewable annually, Walson-Jack revealed.
According to her, the policy goes onstream upon the payment of premiums, in line with the FG’s “no premium, no cover” directive.
“The Group Life Insurance Scheme is an annual one, and today’s approval was for the 2025/2026 policy year. The policy would commence from the date of payment of the premium to the underwriters in line with the no-premium, no-cover policy.
“I would like to quickly take you through the actual approval for today. The approval for today was for the appointment of 17 insurance underwriters for the group life insurance cover and the year 2025/2026, as I had earlier mentioned.
“And the premium is paid to the insurance companies for 12 months. So this policy will expire next year. I like to say that, since this policy has existed throughout this administration and even previous administrations, we find that not too many people know about the policy, and so we have, from my office, even planned to carry out a sensitisation, which will be coming up very soon,” she explained.
“This policy has been in existence for several years, but many public servants remain unaware of its provisions,” she added, saying that her office will embark on a nationwide sensitisation campaign.
“I’m thankful for the opportunity to shed light on this important benefit, which affects every federal public servant, including members of the media. No family of a deceased public servant should be left without support,” Walson-Jack added.
Also briefing journalists after the Council meeting, the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, said the Council had approved a bold new initiative to monetise Nigeria’s rich cultural and tourism assets.
According to Musawa, the plan, developed in partnership with the Ministry of Finance Incorporated, aims to create a new revenue stream while promoting national heritage.
“For the first time in Nigeria’s history, a standalone ministry is tasked with unlocking the potential of the cultural, creative, and tourism sectors. We are looking to contribute $100bn to Nigeria’s economy by 2030 by monetising both tangible and intangible assets,” Musawa stated.
The tangible assets include national museum collections, historical monuments, landmark buildings, and federally owned artworks. Intangible assets range from indigenous languages and oral traditions to cultural textiles like adire, culinary heritage such as Ijebu garri, and sacred landscapes and cultural festivals.
Musawa emphasised that the strategy is focused on self-sustaining economic growth by leveraging existing resources without placing additional pressure on the national budget.
“This is about using what we already have to create wealth, identity, and pride. Our cultural capital is immense, and now we are putting in place the framework to monetise it responsibly,” she explained.
She said the initiative will unfold in four phases: assessment of available assets, valuation, strategy development for monetisation, and implementation.
The asset verification process, Musawa noted, has already been completed, paving the way for the next steps in collaboration with MOFI.
As part of the plan, the ministry also intends to generate at least two million jobs by 2027, particularly for youth and communities directly connected to cultural heritage.
“This is an exciting time for Nigerian identity. We’re building an economy rooted in our tradition, creativity, and talent,” Musawa added.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Maigari Dingyadi, announced FEC’s approval of a revised National Policy on Employment, which had not been updated in over six years.
The new policy, he said, reflects the evolving labour market and aims to address persistent challenges of unemployment and underemployment.
“This policy is a significant step toward reducing poverty and creating inclusive economic opportunities. The reality on the ground has changed, and it was imperative to craft a strategy that is responsive to today’s challenges,” Dingyadi stated.
He noted that the updated policy introduces fresh mechanisms to encourage productive employment and stimulate entrepreneurship across sectors.
It is also expected to serve as a key reference at the upcoming International Labour Organisation conference in Geneva.
The minister concluded, “We are proud to present this revised employment framework to our global counterparts. It signals Nigeria’s commitment to progressive labour practices and inclusive growth.”(Punch)
