The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has advised graduating Cadets of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) to explore the various investment opportunities available in the capital market to create wealth.
Director General of the Commission, Emomotimi Agama, gave this advice at the 23rd Convocation Lecture in honour of graduating cadets of 72 Regular Course and post-graduate students held in Kaduna on Wednesday, September 10.
He charged the Cadets to define what they want to achieve financially in the short and long term to visualise their ideal future and align their financial strategy accordingly.
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“Public servants, traditionally reliant on fixed salaries and pensions, can achieve economic prosperity by strategically engaging with the capital market. Capital markets, comprising stock exchanges, bond markets, and alternative investments, offer opportunities for wealth creation, passive income, and financial security. However, participation requires financial literacy,” Agama said.
He stressed that with the variety of securities available, from equity to fixed-income, investors can choose options that match their preferred risk and return levels.
“Ultimately, the securities market serves as a vehicle to meet the complementary goals of both the issuer and the investor.
“The issuer defines the terms for raising capital, while the investor gains rights associated with the security, which can include ownership, a role in management, or a claim on assets,” the SEC boss maintained.
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He explained that the opportunities in the capital market occur when companies, governments, and various classes of issuers issue their securities to raise money.
He listed the securities to include equities, debt instruments, collective investment schemes, commodities, digital assets and derivatives.
Adding, Agama warned the graduating cadets to only patronise SEC-registered entities to avoid being defrauded of their hard-earned money.
In a remark, the NDA Commandant Major General A. Ibrahim said poor management of resources during their active service life is one of the reasons officers have issues at retirement.
“The reason we are having this lecture today is because of the value we place on investment and empowerment issues for the military. One of the reasons we have issues after retirement is due to a lack of investments and management of the little resources we have,” he said.
Alex is a business journalist cum data enthusiast with the Pinnacle Daily. He can be reached via ealex@thepinnacleng.com, @ehime_alex on X
