Business

Capital Market Favours Domestic Investors – Sec

Published

10 years ago

July 6, 2016

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) says domestic investors have a higher stake in the Nigerian capital market than their foreign counterparts.
The Director-General of SEC, Mr Mounir Gwarzo, who disclosed this while speaking to newsmen in Abuja on Sunday, said enlightenment programmes were being intensified to bring in more of the retail investors.
“In terms of absolute number, the domestic investors have a higher stake than the foreign investors and we are doing a lot of public enlightenment programmes particularly to bring in the retail investors.
“Our research shows that we have less than two per cent of retail investors in our market.
“Whereas if you look at other jurisdictions – Malaysia has nine per cent, South Africa has 19 per cent, US has 43 per cent and UK has 37 per cent of retail investors
“So, part of the reasons why I am here is to solicit the support of the News Agency of Nigeria in terms of our public enlightenment with respect to e-dividend and other initiatives.
“So that we will be able to bring back the retail investors,’’ Gwarzo said.
The SEC boss said that foreign investors seemed to be dictating the pattern of the market in the country because they were more of portfolio investors, who buy and sell.
“Whereas, the domestic investors – both the institutional investors – are retail, particularly the institutional investors, particularly the pension funds.
“So that is why you see that whenever the foreign investors now either sell or buy, the market reacts.
According to Gwarzo, institutional investors particularly the pension funds have been doing quite well.
He explained that a new guideline would soon be released by PENCOM that would encourage Pension Fund Administrators to invest more in the capital market.
He said, “because they do not have a board that is why those new guidelines have not been released yet.
“So I believe in the next couple of years and with the massive public enlightenment we are making to bring back the retail investors and with the dynamism we are seeing from the PENCOM.
“Particularly to bring in the pension investors, I am sure the dominance of the domestic investors particularly in the areas of portfolio investments will increase.
Gwarzo explained that the recent set back experienced in the capital market was because the regulators and stakeholders failed in their duties.
“The market has largely recovered; the Central Bank of Nigeria, Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulators like the Nigeria Stock Exchange and the operators have learnt from their mistakes.
“It happened because both parties did not do what is right, and like I said, we have learnt our lessons and that is why now things are much better.
“We have put some of the precautionary measures that hopefully, such things would not happen again particularly the magnitude with which the market went down.’’
Gwarzo said investing pension funds in the capital market was ideal, adding that in most countries of the world, the major investors in the capital market were the pension funds.
“When we say that pension funds should come in, we are not saying that they should just go and invest in any kind of security.
“There are lots of stocks in the market that are also quite stable that you can also say probably in the next 100 years those stocks will still be there.
“There are good stocks like Nestle, whose products we use on a daily basis and most of them are now going through backward integration in terms of their sources of raw materials.
“So they are going to be quite sustainable,’’ he said.

Business

Boat Mishap Kills Pastor, Wife And Church Members In Brass Water

Published

2 days ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

A boat accident in Bayelsa state has killed a serving Pastor, Wife and other church members along Brass waterways

The sad incident happened at Odioama in Brass local government area of Bayelsa State when the Pastor, wife and members of his church were in a programme.

?Tide confirmed that the lifeless body of the Pastor’s wife has been found and deposited in a mortuary while the remains of her husband ,the Pastor is yet to be recovered

as search party are still ongoing.

Although the real cause of the boat Mishap is not yet known as at the time of this report, our Correspondent gathered that the identities of the Pastor, wife and church members were not disclosed to the public.

The mishap, Tide gathered occurred on Friday morning when the church members were on a boat transit

The Bayelsa State government and the state police command are yet to issue official statement’s on the sad accident

By: CHINEDU WOSU

Business

Rivers Workers Seek Scrapping Of Contributory Pension Scheme

Published

2 days ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State Council of Nigeria Civil Service Union has called on the State Government to urgently scrap the contributory pension scheme, describing it as unfavourable to long-serving civil servants in the state.

Chairman of the union, Chukwuka Osuma, said this in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt, recently.

Osuma said the current pension structure has continued to worsen post-retirement hardship for workers.

He noted that the contributory pension scheme had failed to provide adequate retirement security for workers who had spent many years in service, especially those approaching retirement age.

According to him, civil servants who had served for more than 20 years were among the worst affected under the scheme, insisting that many retirees could no longer cope with prevailing economic realities.

He also informed that the Union has made moves to showcase their concerns, pleading with Governor Siminalayi Fubara to abolish the pension policy and introduce a more favourable arrangement for affected workers.

“The union was not opposed to pension reforms, the contributory scheme should only apply to newly employed workers or those with fewer years in service”, he said.

Osuma explained that workers who had already spent decades in the civil service ought to remain under a more secure pension structure capable of guaranteeing stability after retirement.

The labour leader further noted that inflation and the rising cost of living had continued to erode the value of retirement savings, thereby increasing the suffering of pensioners across the country.

He also appealed to the state government to consider extending the years of service in the civil service from 35 to 40 years and the retirement age from 60 to 65 years.

Osuma argued that such adjustment had become necessary in view of present-day economic realities and changing conditions in the workplace.

The unionist also reviewed that similar policies had already been adopted in some sectors and jurisdictions, expressing optimism that the State could also implement the reforms for the benefit of workers.

He however, commended Governor Fubara for approving an N85,000 minimum wage for workers in the state, noting that the amount was above the national benchmark of N70,000.

Osuma also acknowledged the government’s efforts in the area of workers’ promotions and bonuses, but insisted that pension reforms and extension of years of service remained critical to the long-term welfare and stability of civil servants in Rivers State.

By: King Onunwor

Business

FG Begins South-West Tour To Promote New Cooperative Bank

Published

7 days ago

May 13, 2026

The Tide

The Federal Government has launched the South-West zonal engagement and ministerial advocacy tour on the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria share capital mobilisation, sensitisation and cooperative sector digitalisation.

Reports say the initiative was launched through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

According to reports, the advocacy tour, organised by the ministry’s Federal Department of Cooperatives, began on Monday in Lagos.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister of Cooperative Affairs, Dr Aliyu Abdullahi, said the initiative was part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Abdullahi described the exercise as a strategic effort to reposition the cooperative sector as a key driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity.

“Today represents a defining moment in our collective determination to reposition the cooperative sector as a major driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity,” he said.

The minister noted the modern cooperative movement in Nigeria originated in the South-West following the 1934 Strickland Report, which led to the enactment of the Cooperative Societies Ordinance of 1935.

According to him, the decision to commence the sensitisation and share capital mobilisation tour in the region is symbolic, as it marks a return to the roots of cooperative development in the country.

Abdullahi said the advocacy tour was a direct outcome of resolutions reached at the 8th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Cooperative Affairs held in Abuja in March 2026.

He said the council approved the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme, a comprehensive framework designed to strengthen the cooperative sector and align it with the administration’s goal of building a one-trillion-dollar economy.

“The reform programme focuses on seven strategic pillars, including governance reforms, cooperative financing and the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria, digitalisation, capacity building, value chain development, inclusion of youths, women and persons with disabilities, and strategic partnerships,” he said.

He said the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria and the digitalisation of the cooperative sector were the two major transformational initiatives under the programme.

“The Cooperative Bank of Nigeria is aimed at rebuilding a strong cooperative financial system capable of supporting cooperators, farmers, artisans, traders, SMEs, youths, women and persons with disabilities with accessible and affordable financial services,” he said.

Abdullahi emphasised that the proposed bank would be government-enabled but not government-funded.

“Government is not establishing the bank as an owner, nor will it rely on Treasury Single Account funds.

“The role of government through the FMAFS is to provide policy support, stakeholder coordination, regulatory facilitation and an enabling environment under the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme,” he said.

Also speaking, the Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to cooperative sector transformation.

She described cooperatives as critical tools for promoting inclusive growth, grassroots productivity, food security, financial inclusion and community wealth creation.

Ambrose-Medebem said Lagos State would continue to support reforms and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (2025–2030).

“Together, let us build a cooperative ecosystem that is modern, transparent, digitally enabled, financially inclusive and globally competitive.

“Let us build cooperatives that not only mobilise savings, but also mobilise prosperity,” she said.