SEC, Agency Partner On Sensitisation Against Illegal Schemes

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and National Orientation Agency (NOA) have partnered to enlighten Nigerians on illegal schemes in the country.

The director-general of SEC, Dr. Emomotimi Agama, stated this during a meeting with the director-general of NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, in Abuja yesterday, according to a statement from SEC.

Agama said the capital market is an available tool for national development, but beyond all that, there is the tendency for people to do the wrong things that will lead to the impoverishment of Nigerians.

According to him, these are not supposed to be, but many people fall victim due to a lack of knowledge. We know these schemes are springing up daily, and these people are defrauding Nigerians. People are always gullible because they need to survive.

As a management, we decided to move out to enlighten people; we cannot assume that people know, we need to go out for mass communication, hence this collaboration. It is only by co-operation that we are able to achieve the purpose of our existence.

The SEC DG solicited the co-operation of the NOA to reach Nigerians because of its capacity and vast network of mass media, in a bid to ensure that the message reaches every nook and cranny of the country.

“This collaboration is important because it will go a long way in ensuring that Nigerians are no longer victims of these fraudulent schemes. We appreciate that you value this country, and we value the work that you do,” he added.

Also, the director-general of NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, commended the SEC for the capital market’s achievements in recent times, adding that the Commission has not been celebrated enough.

“We commend you and thank you on behalf of the country, but most Nigerians are not aware of the opportunities in the capital market. An ignorant society will fall victim of many things that are avoidable. It is our responsibility to enlighten people to make the right decisions.

“We request that you provide information on what you do to enable us to propagate them. Our primary assignment is to serve all government institutions as the communications arm. We do a lot of enlightenment in places like the religious houses, motor parks, town halls, among others.”

Issa-Onilu said the NOA engages in civic education to create the right values that will help most Nigerians be better citizens, saying that “many Nigerians are deficient in good behaviour. Both the Ponzi scheme promoters and those who patronise them are suffering from the wrong attitude and values.

“We have to encourage people to have the right attitude so they do not fall victim to Ponzi schemes. We have created a lot of platforms to interact with Nigerians.”