Secure Your Financial Future, SEC Tells Military, Paramilitary Personnel

Ndubuisi Francis

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has advised military and paramilitary personnel to work for the security of their financial future even as it warned against investing in fraudulent schemes that are mouth-watering, but are actually not capital market products.

SEC Acting Director General, Ms. Mary Uduk, who spoke in Abuja, yesterday at a one-day enlightenment outreach for officers of the Armed Forces, Police, paramilitary and other agencies on the investment initiatives in the capital market, and how to protect their sundry investments, admonished them that while working for the peace and security of the country, they should not ignore the security of their financial future.

“I also use this opportunity to salute our gallant officers of the military, paramilitary, anti-graft agencies present here today, for your role and sacrifices in maintaining the security of our lives and property.

“While you continue to work for the peace and security of our dear country, you must also work for the peace and security of your financial future. I am happy to inform you that the capital market has a number products and platforms that can guarantee these,” she admonished.

Uduk told the participants at the workshop christened: “A Day with Investors” that the agenda for the outreach was to enlighten participants about the capital market and the attendant benefits, while cautioning against fraudulent schemes that appeared mouth-watering.

SEC, she stressed, decided to use the forum to enlighten them about the capital market and some of the initiatives being undertaken by the commission, particularly, those that affect them as investors.

According to her, “Investor education in the capital market is one of our key strategies to foster investor engagement on financial planning and decision-making. It also creates awareness about Ponzi schemes and other sharp practices, which we want them to avoid.

“I wish to commend your interest to learn how to build wealth in a secured and protected environment. While some of us will invest for today, most I believe, will take the benefits deep into their retirement years when the energy to work is lost, but the benefits of investments will continue to trickle in, to ensure relative financial security even at old age.

“We also have other initiatives arising from our 10-year Capital Market Master Plan which protects investors and also bring confidence to the capital market such as the e-dividend mandate.

“When people invest in the capital market, they expect returns, they expect to make money. One of it is to be able to protect your dividend and get your dividend as at when due.”