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Unclaimed Dividends: Reactions Trail SEC’s Trust Fund Policy

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12 years ago

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Mixed reactions have
continued to trail the decision of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to establish an Unclaimed Dividends Trust Fund
Speaking in a telephone interview with The Tide, the Controller, Central Bank of Nigeria, Port Harcourt branch, Mr. Otu Ken Effa, said SEC’s proposal was a noble idea that will have positive impact on the market.
Effa noted that establishment of the trust fund will provide opportunities for the fund to be used for the development of other sectors.
He said that this would make a better achievement than stocking the fund in various companies which use them to do their own businesses.
“SEC should however, give a period of three years and if the owners don’t still come for them, it could now be sent to the fund”, he said.
The Deputy General Manager Operations/Credit, Rivers, State Microfinance Agency (RIMA), Mr Gbarayorks Nuira Albert told The Tide that the idea of the trust fund is good if it would prevent the abuse of unclaimed dividends.
Albert advised that it should only be used as an interim measure as SEC intensifies efforts to ensure that all unclaimed dividends are distributed in the long run.
“SEC should reform and make dividend policy in Nigeria flexible for investors to have option of recapitalization of dividends, instead of paying out at all time”.
Meanwhile, some shareholders have urged SEC to drop the plan of establishing the trust fund, saying that the proposal is unacceptable to the shareholders and unknown in the capital market.
Reports say that a former publicity secretary of Nigerian shareholders Solidarity Association, Alhaji Gbadebo Olatokunbo has said that the entire stock of unclaimed dividends belonged to shareholders and not the federal government or any of its agencies.
He advised SEC to work towards reducing the stock of unclaimed dividends in one capital market, adding that that is the need for SEC to look at how to solve the problem of unclaimed dividends instead of ways of disbursing one fund.
It would be recalled that unclaiemd dividends according to SEC committee reports as at June 30, 2013 amounted to N45 billion.
Another shareholders who pleaded anonymity warned against touching the fund which she said belongs to investors, adding that SEC does not have the right to touch the fund “which is not government’s own”.
She noted the need to pay the dividends directly into investors’ accounts, saying that the move would stop the issue of unclaimed dividends in the capital market.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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5 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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5 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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5 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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