Bala Zakariya 'U: The Team Builder
Bala Zakariya, chief executive officer of Niger Insurance Plc, is one of the few corporate titans who have given visibility and vibrancy to the insurance sub-sector. A thoroughbred insurer, Zakariya 'U aspires to provide for Niger Insurance diverse clientele, first class insurance services and enhance shareholder value as well as ensure a measure of comfort for the human resources which he considers as the company's greatest asset.
A past chairman of the Kano Chapter of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria, Zakariya 'U believes that his company has survived the travails that afflicted the insurance market in Nigeria. To ensure constant rapport with his workforce Zakariya 'U often adopts the interactive approach. He ensures that there's constant flow of information to enhance industrial harmony, engender trust, and ensure that workers repose confidence in the company. His philosophy of "WE" feeling which promotes team spirit and his effective management style has ensured for the company tremendous growth in the last few years.
Not one to rest on his oars, Zakariya 'U is still roaring to move ahead. Little wonder he has inculcated in his team the culture of internal control and aggressive marketing in order to have an edge over their competitors. As an informed commentator on national issues, Zakariya 'U maintains objective views on the dual exchange regime currently in operation. To him, "we stand the risk of losing everything if the peculiarity of our setting is disregarded. To him, the government has a good reason, for pursuing guided deregulation. He therefore admonishes transparency and probity in the management of public affairs. While not opposing privatisation of key parastatals such as NEPA and NITEL, he cautions against inherent dangers. He affirms that national interest should be protected.
Zakariya 'U, a firm believer in long-term planning commends the efforts of Vision 2010 committees. He believes that Nigerians still have a lot to learn from the success story of the Asian tigers and their mistakes.
Born in December 1952, Zakariya 'U who loves reading, writing and playing table tennis obtained his West African School certificate in 1971 from Government Secondary School Yola. In 1976, he earned a diploma in Insurance from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria. He was at the Caledonian University Glasgow between 1979 and 1982 where he passed the CII professional exams. Through private studies, he passed the associateship examination in 1988. Four years later, he obtained a master's degree in business administration from the Bayero University Kano.
Between April and July 1995, he attended the Advance Management Programme Course 4 of the Lagos Business School. In November of 1995, the Chartered Insurance Institute of London elected him Chartered Insurance. He has worked variously at Broadcasting Company of Northern Nigeria as an account assistant.
He moved to the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria as executive officer [Insurance] and Nigerian Airways Lagos as Senior Insurance Officer. his working career has also spanned AIICO Insurance Plc as a branch manager, Kapital Insurance as claims manager, CIB Insurance Brokers as promoter/CEO, and Nicon Insurance as senior manager [Kano Zone]. He joined Niger Insurance Plc in 1993 as executive director [Technical] and rose to become the managing director and chief executive officer in 1997.
Elected as a council member of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria in 1994, Zakariya'U has lectured at the Insurance Institute of Nigeria, Kano and the Nigeria institute of Management also in Kano. In 1996, he served as a member of the insurance law review committee. He is married with children.
Newswatch June 29, 1998
" Newswatch 1998