The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Nigeria has restated its commitment to intensifying oversight roles in the nation’s capital market to ensure strict adherence to regulations by operators and enhance investor confidence in Nigeria’s financial system.
The Director-General of the commission, Dr Emomotimi Agama, made the promise on Monday during the launch of Norrenberger Asset Management Limited and the 2025 capital market outlook event in Abuja.
While reaffirming the commission’s zero-tolerance policy for infractions, the investment expert also promised that the SEC would prioritise risk-based supervision and close monitoring of capital market operators to ensure compliance with rules guiding trading in the local bourse.
Agama stressed: “We are going to get to every capital market operator, watching them like an eagle, making sure they are doing just the right thing. We want to be sure that Nigerians that are here and abroad and even foreigners believe and trust in our market.”
He maintained that the Commission’s goal remained to create a market that inspires confidence among Nigerians, foreign investors, and the diaspora, without requiring external validation, adding that the recently passed bill now awaiting the President’s assent will empower the SEC to more effectively enforce regulations.
According to him, the new legislation is designed to ensure accountability and justice for any violations of capital market rules and regulations, as part of efforts to create an investment-friendly environment based on trust, confidence, and transparency.
While noting achieving these goals require hard work and a sustained commitment, which the SEC is fully prepared to deliver, Agama stressed that financial education would remain a priority of the commission in 2025, to educate citizens about the capital market and its opportunities.
He said: “As much as we educate people to know, we will also not tolerate any form of infractions or violations of the rules and regulations.”
Reflecting on the achievements of the commission in 2024, Agama identified the successful raising of N2.2 trillion for banks’ recapitalisation and N3 trillion through collective investment schemes as some of the milestones recorded to demonstrate the market’s depth and capacity.
The Director-General dismissed concerns by some people that government borrowing might crowd out the private sector from the capital market, adding that the market is robust enough to accommodate public and private players.
He expressed optimism about the outlook of the capital market this year, describing it as a transformative year for the Nigerian capital market.
Speaking at the forum, the Group Managing Director of Norrenberger, Tony Edeh, said the company ventured into the asset management space to address a lack of innovation in the sector, adding that the company aims to optimise and diversify investment opportunities, especially for Nigerians who are currently excluded from accessing such services.
The investment expert explained that while the asset management market predominantly serves Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt, his company’s plan is to expand its reach to underserved regions, with the aim of increasing participation and supporting the government’s $1tn economy target.