Abuja: 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.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, veteran Jùjú musician Sir Shina Peters shared a personal experience that changed his perception of insurance. Peters embraced health insurance after doctors advised him to reduce or stop performing due to health risks. He noted, “At a point in my career, the Medical Doctors Association advised that I reduce or stop performing becau
se the level of performance and workload had become a significant health risk.” This experience prompted him to take his health and wellbeing more seriously, leading him to adopt health insurance and access to exclusive and consistent healthcare. Peters described his experience with insurers as generally positive and urged entertainers to prioritize preventive healthcare and maintain regular contact with reputable doctors. Moreover, he called for affordable routine medical examinations, particularly for older people, and urged insurers to develop products tailored to the peculiar risks of entertainers.
The National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Alhaji Abubakar Yakubu, revealed that only 40 percent of the guild’s members had enrolled in its health insurance scheme. The guild operates an HMO scheme as well as group accident and onset insurance. Yakubu attributed the low HMO enrolment partly to poor attitudes toward preventive healthcare, emphasizing that members could use the scheme for medic
al examinations even when they were not sick. He mentioned that the guild is planning another sensitization program to encourage members to embrace insurance. Group accident and onset insurance have been linked to the guild’s registration and validation process, making it compulsory. Yakubu noted the guild’s experience illustrating the need for insurance products suited to the entertainment industry, recalling difficulties in securing benefits from an earlier group insurance arrangement after the death of a member. He also called on senior actors to lead by example by taking up insurance policies.
For visual artists, risks extend beyond health and life, as their artworks can represent years of creative effort and significant financial value. Nigerian contemporary artist Bob-Nosa Uwagboe shared that he routinely insured his works whenever they left his studio. He recounted a positive experience when he and his colleagues were promptly paid after artworks were destroyed in a transit accident while being transp
orted to Abuja, reinforcing the importance of insurance in protecting artists from losses. Uwagboe also mentioned having an education insurance plan for his son.
Meanwhile, the 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 emphasized the need for more enlightenment among members on the importance of insurance, noting that TAMPAN had established structures across states to support members.
Mr. Akinjide Orimolade, President and Chairman of the Council of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN) and Chief Executive Officer of Stanbic IBTC Insurance Ltd., urged entertainers to look beyond health insurance. He recommended life insurance with critical illness riders, which could provide financial support to entertainers diagnosed with serious illnesses. Additionally, he advised film producers to insure equipment used at various location
s and suggested event insurance packages to cover onsite equipment and people working outside. Despite efforts by insurers, Orimolade acknowledged that insurance adoption among entertainers remained low, highlighting ongoing consultations with industry stakeholders to create platforms for insurers to explain available products.
Following the recapitalization of the insurance industry, stakeholders say the sector is better positioned to provide protection, with claims payment required within stipulated timelines and the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) strengthening its regulatory oversight. For entertainers, moving from reacting to tragedy to preparing for the unexpected may ultimately be as important as the show itself.