The Securities and Ex
change Commission (SEC) says incentives can encourage companies to list on the Nigerian Capital Market.
The Director-General of the commission, Mr Mounir Gwarzo, stated this when he spoke to journalists in Abuja on Sunday.
“I do not subscribe to the idea of making it compulsory for them to list, because if you make it compulsory for somebody to list, he has the option the next day to also be delisted “But we think that certain incentives can make those companies to list.
“For instance, you can say if you are operating in my country and you have operated for five years you ought to be listed “Or you can say, if you are a company and you have X amount of turnover, you have to be listed.
“Or you can say, as government, if you are going to give any contract to any company, let’s say construction work, that I can only give that work to a company that is listed.
“So, I am not saying that you must list, but I am saying that if you must enjoy a business from my country, you have to be listed.’’
The director-general explained that stakeholders in the industry were making concerted efforts to encourage companies to list on the Nigerian capital market.
“At the initial stage they were talking about the floatation cost, but we all agreed, the SEC, the NSE and other market operators, we are ready to look at our cost.
“We are ready to look at our fees, even though the market is very tight and some of us are relying 100 per cent from the little fee that we generate from the market
“But for the benefit of encouraging those companies to be listed, we said, we are ready to look at the cost,’’ he said.
On the gains of listed companies to the country, he said, “It is interesting to note that 60 per cent of the cooperation taxes that are paid by companies are actually paid by listed companies.
“So it is also another way of generating income, especially with the drive this current administration is making in terms of diversifying the economy and in terms of raising tax.