Business
Minister Makes Case For N60bn Unclaimed Dividends

Cross section of participants at the 1st Rivers State University of Science and Technology Corporate Society Day in Port Harcourt last Tuesday.
Photo: Obinna Prince Dele
The Minister of State for
Finance, Dr. Yerima Ngama, has said that there is a serious need to address the issue of unclaimed dividend in the country.
The unclaimed dividends which are currently estimated at N60 billion belong to retail investors in the nation.
Ngama, who made this known during the Annual Capital Market Retreat, noted that unclaimed dividend by this small investors are funds that can be utilised for investment purposes.
The minister said that the Economic Management Implementation Team is taking the issue of unclaimed divided seriously and are expected to come out with a decision or action that would boost the market and give confidence to small investors, as there are lots of proposals to that effect.
He, however, urged capital market operators and regulators not to be carried away by what he called “impressive growth of the stock market.
Ngama reiterated the need for the operators to look at the untapped market and find those companies that are doing well but are yet to list on the floor of the Exchange.
“Very few people participate in the capital market and in fact, there is a lot of exclusion in the entire financial market. Nigerian public needs to be educated on this”, the minister said.
He said the investors would not need to buy shares by themselves but could have mutual and collective investment comprising so many small investors.
The state Minister of State on Finance urged the market operators to come up with strategies on how to broaden the market in the country.