Economy
SEC Assures Ponzi Scheme Operators Sleepless Nights
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Ponzi scheme operators have been promised many sleepless nights and be frustrated out of the capital market.
The Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mr Lamido Yuguda, said relevant agencies would be partnered with to flush them out of the system.
Speaking over the weekend, Mr Yuguda urged Nigerians to only do business with registered capital market operators, who can be verified on the website of the commission.
“We have their list on the SEC website and we have always said that if you go to an operator or when an operator approaches you, you must confirm that he is a licensed operator with the SEC.
“We have our numbers on how to reach our offices in the zones and we have done a lot of sensitizations in terms of seminars, webinars all in an effort to discourage people from going to Ponzi schemes.
“Unfortunately, a lot of people continue to patronize this Ponzi schemes, we have had cases that have been reported to us, our enforcement department and the police unit have been on many of these cases that have been reported to us trying to resolve them,” the SEC DG was quoted as saying in a statement made available to Business Post.
Mr Yuguda emphasized that it is not very difficult to identify a Ponzi scheme as they usually promise unreasonably high returns just to lure people.
“I will like to use this opportunity to say that it is not very difficult to recognize a Ponzi scheme and the people that go to Ponzi scheme many of them are probably aware that there is a type of risk that they are taking because when somebody tells you that I will pay you a 10 per cent per month on your investments, that means if you invest a million naira, every month you get 10% of that which is N100,000.00. If you see something like this, it is probably too good to be true. Because when you compound the annual rate of return, you find out that it is way higher than any decent investments can give you.
“There are people who think they can be amongst the first people to go in and probably go out before it collapses but you may be taking a huge risk because you do not know if you are the first, maybe the 1000th and could be that it is your own money that could get trapped. It is important for investors to understand the tale-tell signs of a Ponzi scheme and to alert the commission if they need some clarity,” he said.
The SEC chief disclosed that the agency has been working with other agencies of the government in terms of reducing the access of Ponzi schemes to the advertising platforms, the print media or electronic media i.e. the radio and television.
“These collaborations are very important because Ponzi schemes are cancers to the capital market, a lot of money has been lost and it is unacceptable to continue to have this kind of investment losses by people.
“In terms of the synergies between the Commission and the law enforcement on the fight against Ponzi schemes, I can say that there is very good synergy and harmony between the SEC and the law enforcement agencies.
“It is worthy to mention that the SEC has a detachment of the Nigeria Police working directly with the SEC on capital market matters including Ponzi schemes and we have a good collaboration with the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, the EFCC especially on the fight against money laundry and Ponzi schemes,” Mr Yuguda stated.
He stated that the commission has stepped up enlightenment on Ponzi schemes to ensure the message gets to the street while also working with various state government, local government and different agencies of government including non-governmental organizations to make sure that the message gets to the nooks and crannies of our country.
“This is something that is depriving a lot of households of hard earned money. Money that could be used for a lot of other meaningful activities and needs are now surrendered to fraudsters essentially. When they come to you trying to convince you, they actually come in the form of very honest people, giving you all sort of promises in terms of financial return but once they get your money the story begins to change,” he disclosed.
The DG reiterated the commission’s commitment to continue to strive and fulfil its mandate of protecting investors and creating an enabling environment for market operations.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has assured stakeholders in the shea value chain that it would review the export ban on shea nuts, citing concerns over its impact on local producers, exporters and foreign exchange (FX) earnings.
On August 26, 2025, President Bola Tinubu directed a six-month temporary ban on the export of raw shea nuts.
According to NAN, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs Jumoke Oduwole, at a stakeholders’ validation session on the ban on raw shea nuts exports in Nigeria on Thursday, said the ministry would brief the president after consultations across the value chain.
The Minister, at the gathering in Abuja, said the government recognises the right of citizens to earn a living and contribute to national development, adding that all inputs from stakeholders would be carefully reviewed and consolidated.
“All inputs from stakeholders will be carefully reviewed and consolidated before a decision is made on whether the ban should be extended immediately or deferred,” the Minister said, adding that, “The ministry will provide the president with factual and balanced information to guide further action.”
Mrs Oduwole said the ministry engaged widely with stakeholders to ensure all perspectives were considered in the ongoing policy deliberations.
The ministry, she said, received formal submissions from the umbrella association and held engagement sessions attended by various industry representatives.
The minister said the submissions were reproduced and circulated at the meeting to promote transparency and shared understanding.
“Relevant departments within the ministry worked jointly on the matter, and I personally reviewed the submissions to assess our position ahead of broader consultations,” she said.
In his remarks, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Abubakar Kyari, said the meeting was convened to review the ban objectively, underscoring the need for verified facts and transparency.
Mr Kyari said government decisions intend to protect jobs and encourage local value addition, adding that policies should be assessed holistically based on evidence and measurable impact.
Rationalising the ban last August, the Vice President, Mr Kashim Shettima, said while Nigeria produces nearly 40 per cent of the global Shea product, it accounts for only 1 per cent of the market share of $6.5 billion.
“This is unacceptable. We are projected to earn about $300 million annually in the short term, and by 2027, there will be a 10-fold increase. This is our target,” the VP stated.
He explained that the ban was a collective decision involving the sub-nationals and the federal government with clear directions for economic transformation in the overall interest of the nation, stressing that the “government is not closing doors; we are opening opportunities.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
For the third straight session, the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange closed bearish, further losing 0.15 per cent on Thursday amid weak demand for unlisted stocks.
During the session, the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) declined by 5.70 points to 3,908.67 points from 3,914.37 points, and the market capitalisation lost N3.41 billion to end N2.338 trillion compared with the N2.342 trillion it ended on Wednesday.
The alternative stock exchange suffered a loss despite having more price gainers than price losers, with five for the former and four for the latter.
Okitipupa Plc lost N10.00 to close at N250.00 per unit versus midweek’s N260.00 per unit, Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc depreciated by N4.98 to N64.92 per share from N69.90 per share, Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc dropped 4 Kobo to sell at 50 Kobo per unit compared with the previous day’s 54 Kobo per unit, and Acorn Petroleum Plc moderated by 1 Kobo to N1.32 per share from N1.33 per share.
Conversely, 11 Plc gained N13.65 to quote at N276.55 per unit versus the preceding session’s N263.00 per unit, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc appreciated by N6.10 to N84.15 per share from N78.05 per share, Food Concepts Plc expanded by 32 Kobo to N3.60 per unit from N3.28 per unit, Geo-Fluids Plc improved by 30 Kobo to N3.60 per share from N3.30 per share, and First Trust Mortgage Bank Plc increased by 10 Kobo to N1.09 per unit from 99 Kobo per unit.
Yesterday, the volume of transactions surged 2,797.1 per cent to 45.8 million units from 1.6 million units, the value of transactions jumped 315.2 per cent to N208.2 million from N50.1 million, and the number of deals soared 18.2 per cent to 39 deals from 33 deals.
At the close of business, CSCS Plc remained the most active stock by value (year-to-date) with 32.6 million units worth N1.9 billion, followed by Geo-Fluids Plc with 117.4 million units valued at N463.1 million, and Resourcery Plc with 1.05 billion units exchanged for N408.6 million.
Resourcery Plc ended the session as the most traded stock by volume (year-to-date) with 1.05 billion units sold for N408.6 million, trailed by Geo-Fluids Plc with 117.4 million exchanged for N463.1 million, and CSCS Plc with 32.6 million units traded for N1.9 billion.
By Dipo Olowookere
Sell-offs in energy stocks could not bring down Nigeria’s stock exchange on Thursday, as the gains recorded by the others sustained the upward momentum.
Yesterday, the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited further appreciated by 1.39 per cent on the back of a strong appetite for domestic equities, which are gaining traction among investors.
The banking index grew by 2.63 per cent, the consumer goods sector appreciated by 054 per cent, the insurance counter improved by 0.50 per cent, and the industrial goods space rose by 0.29 per cent, while the energy industry fell by 0.11 per cent.
When the bourse closed for the day, the All-Share Index (ASI) pointed northwards by 2,645.61 points to settle at 193,073.57 points compared with the previous day’s 190,427.96 points, and the market capitalisation soared by N1.698 trillion to N123.934 trillion from N122.236 trillion.
The trio of Deap Capital, Okomu Oil, and Fortis Global Insurance appreciated by 10.00 per cent each to N6.93, N1,459.70, and 55 Kobo apiece, while the duo of Infinity Trust Insurance and Zichis gained 9.96 per cent each to settle at N14.35, and N15.79, respectively.
On the flip side, the quartet of Tripple G, Multiverse, Secure Electronic Technology, and McNichols lost 10.00 per cent each to quote at N5.40, N25.20, N1.80, and N8.28, respectively, while Meyer declined by 9.80 per cent to N20.70.
Business Post reports that there were 52 appreciating equities and 26 depreciating equities on Thursday, showing a positive market breadth index and strong investor sentiment.
The busiest stock yesterday was Japaul with 80.1 million units valued at N293.3 million, Secure Electronic Technology sold 71.8 million units worth N136.5 million, Mutual Benefits transacted 58.7 million units for N277.6 million, Zenith Bank exchanged 53.2 million units valued at N4.5 billion, and GTCO traded 52.6 million units worth N6.2 billion.
Unlike the preceding session, the activity chart was in red after market participants transacted 898.5 million shares for N38.5 billion in 61,953 deals compared with the 3.7 billion shares worth N61.9 billion traded in 68,693 deals at midweek, implying a decline in the trading volume, value, and number of deals by 75.72 per cent, 37.80 per cent, and 9.81 per cent apiece.
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