Taiye Olayemi
The applause, fame and glamour of entertainment often mask the health, financial and professional risks faced by Nigerian artistes.
Musicians, actors, producers, visual artists, DJs and other practitioners work under demanding conditions.
They travel frequently, handle expensive equipment and face unpredictable health and financial challenges.
Yet, insurance adoption remains low across the creative industry.
Stakeholders attribute this to inadequate awareness, misconceptions and poor attitudes toward preventive healthcare.
They say insurance should become part of protecting entertainers, their families, careers and creative assets.
For veteran Jùjú musician, Sir Shina Peters, personal experience changed his perception of insurance.
Peters told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that he embraced health insurance after doctors advised him to reduce or stop performing because of health risks.
“At a point in my career, the Medical Doctors Association advised that I reduce or stop performing because the level of performance and workload had become a significant health risk.
“That experience made me take my health and wellbeing much more seriously.
“As part of the measures I adopted, I embraced health insurance, alongside having access to exclusive and consistent healthcare,” he said.
Peters said his experience with insurers had generally been positive.
He urged entertainers to prioritise preventive healthcare and maintain regular contact with reputable doctors.
He also called for affordable routine medical examinations, particularly for older people.
Peters said insurers should develop products tailored to the peculiar risks of entertainers.
The National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Alhaji Abubakar Yakubu, said only 40 per cent of the guild’s members had enrolled in its health insurance scheme.
Yakubu said the guild operated an HMO scheme as well as group accident and onset insurance.
He attributed the low HMO enrolment partly to poor attitudes toward preventive healthcare.
He said members could use the scheme for medical examinations even when they were not sick.
According to him, the guild is planning another sensitisation programme to encourage members to embrace insurance.
He said group accident and onset insurance had been linked to the guild’s registration and validation process, making it compulsory.
Yakubu said the guild’s experience also showed the need for insurance products suited to the entertainment industry.
He recalled difficulties in securing benefits from an earlier group insurance arrangement after the death of a member.
He said the guild also encountered difficulties after the death of one of its executives because the circumstances did not fall within the policy terms.
Yakubu said some insurers were now developing products for actors and motion picture practitioners.
He urged other insurers to follow suit.
He also called on senior actors to lead by example by taking up insurance policies.
“Health is wealth. Don’t wait until you are broken down before you begin to know that you must manage your health,” he said.
He recommended medical checks every three months and urged members to enrol in the guild’s HMO.
Yakubu also called for short term insurance cover for film productions.
For visual artists, the risk extends beyond health and life.
Their artworks can represent years of creative effort and significant financial value.
Nigerian contemporary artist, Bob-Nosa Uwagboe, said he routinely insured his works whenever they left his studio.
He said he and his colleagues were promptly paid after artworks were destroyed in a transit accident while being transported to Abuja.
The experience, he said, reinforced the importance of insurance in protecting artists from losses.
Uwagboe also said he had an education insurance plan for his son.
Meanwhile, Global President of the Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN), Mr Bolaji Amusan, popularly known as Mr Latin, called for greater enlightenment on insurance and welfare.
He said TAMPAN had established structures across states to support members.
“It is only when people die that people begin to ask questions.
“What we need is more enlightenment among our members on the importance of insurance,” he said.
The President and Chairman of Council of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN), Mr Akinjide Orimolade, urged entertainers to look beyond health insurance.
Orimolade, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Stanbic IBTC Insurance Ltd., recommended life insurance with critical illness riders.
Orimolade said such policies could provide financial support to entertainers diagnosed with serious illnesses.
He added that life insurance could provide a lump sum to beneficiaries when the policyholder dies.
He also advised film producers to insure equipment used at various locations.
He said event insurance packages could cover onsite equipment and people working outside.
In spite of efforts by insurers, Orimolade said insurance adoption among entertainers remained low.
He said consultations were ongoing with industry stakeholders to create platforms for insurers to explain available products.
“This is a wake up call to all artistes cutting across music, film, arts and all, to come and embrace insurance.
“Whether they like it or not, insurance is the best form of protection, either on properties or life,” he said.
Following the recapitalisation of the insurance industry, stakeholders say the sector is better positioned to provide protection.
Claims payment is now required within stipulated timelines, while the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has strengthened its regulatory oversight.
For entertainers, however, the next step is to move from reacting to tragedy to preparing for the unexpected.
Protecting the people and creative assets behind the spotlight may ultimately be as important as the show itself.
Taiye Olayemi writes for the News Agency of Nigeria.
