By Our Correspondent
The Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) says Nigeria’s collective investment or mutual funds targeted at children has grown to N8.6 trillion.
The Director-General of the commission, Dr Emomotimi Agama, said this on Tuesday at a 2025 Children’s Day event in Abuja organised by Ryan and Jasmine Consult in collaboration with Assertium.
He said that the commission is pushing for improved investment literacy among children in Nigeria.
Agama noted that early preparation of children on investment culture, sensitisation on Ponzi schemes, and other investment literacy is key to the SEC.
According to him, children’s investment, which usually comes from collective investment or mutual funds in the capital market, is expected to grow bigger because children have remained the majority of Nigeria’s population.
“It is important to start preparing our children earlier around investment culture, sensitisation against Ponzi schemes, and, of course, making them more confident about the future this country has for them.
It is a great time to teach the children about the ethos of investments. For us at SEC, this is what we love to do to catch them young through teaching.
” President Bola Tinubu has the children at heart. It is important we, the agents of the President, do the work that we need to do by getting the people to know the value of financial literacy, the value of investment in education, and saving money for the future of the children themselves.
“Investment for children usually happens with what we call the collective investment scheme or mutual funds.
” That is our investment in children. because children below the age of 18 years cannot invest in the capital market. The collective investment is growing, over N8.6 trillion now in Nigeria; we believe it will grow bigger.
” In terms of the demography of Nigeria, you can understand that we have more children than adults. It is so important we inculcate the value of investing in children so that right from the cradle,” he stated.
Contributing, the representative of Ryan and Jasmine and Group Chief Executive Officer of Assertium, Monsurat Ayoola, and Monitat Amoyegbe, empahaised the need for children to be taught how to invest at an earlier age.
” We are celebrating Children’s Day today. Our wonderful youngsters. It is just to have fun and learn in the same spot. We created the platform to enable children to control their butterflies in their systems and give them confidence to invest.”
A participant at the event, Modesire Makajuola, said she has learned how to save and invest in goods and services.
” I have learned how to save and invest in goods and services. I will want the Nigerian government to build roads and be firm in politics. Happy Children’s Day to everyone,” she stated.
