‘Invest in Capital Market for Wealth Creation’ Agama Tells Cadets
By Patience Ikpeme
Graduating cadets of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) have been urged to explore the diverse investment opportunities within the capital market to create personal wealth and secure their financial future. This call was made by the Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Dr. Emomotimi Agama, during the 23rd Convocation Lecture in honor of graduating cadets of the 72 Regular Course and post-graduate students in Kaduna on Wednesday.
Dr. Agama charged the cadets to define their short and long-term financial goals, envision their ideal future, and align their financial strategy accordingly. He explained that a well-developed securities market serves as a vehicle to meet the complementary goals of both issuers and investors. He also provided a clear picture of the opportunities available to public servants and other investors.
According to Dr. Agama, public servants, who traditionally depend on fixed salaries and pensions, can attain economic prosperity by strategically participating in the capital market. He said, “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.”
He further detailed how securities benefit both those raising capital and those investing it. “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 securities market is the platform where these securities are initially issued and then traded among investors.” He added that companies, governments, and other issuers frequently require funds and can approach the capital market using instruments such as equities, debt instruments, collective investment schemes, commodities, and digital assets. “Opportunities are available to public servants and other investors when companies, governments, and various classes of issuers issue their securities to raise money from the capital market. For example, companies or governments frequently need funds to execute any task. They can then approach the capital market for funds using any of the securities (instruments) such as equities (ordinary shares), debt instruments (bonds, debentures or preference shares), collective investment schemes, commodities, digital assets and derivatives,” he stated.
The SEC Boss concluded his lecture by enjoining the cadets to patronize only SEC-registered entities to protect their hard-earned money from being lost to fraudulent schemes.
In his address, the NDA Commandant, Major General A. K. Ibrahim, spoke about the challenges faced by military officers upon retirement, attributing them to poor resource management during their active service years. He said, “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 lack of investments and management of the little resources we have.” Major General Ibrahim expressed his hope that with the enlightenment provided, officers and men will be in a better position to manage their resources and create wealth for their families.
