The Securities and Exchange Commission has expressed openness to collaborating with the National Orientation Agency to enlighten Nigerians on illegal investment schemes.
The Director-General of the SEC, Dr Emomotimi Agama, stated this during a meeting with the Director-General of the NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, in Abuja on Thursday.
He said, “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 due to the need to survive. As 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 can achieve the purpose of our existence.”
Agama solicited the co-operation of the NOA to reach Nigerians because of its capacity and vast medium of mass communication to ensure that the message gets to 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.
In his response, Issa-Onilu commended the SEC on the achievements of the capital market in recent times, adding that the Commission has not been celebrated enough.
He stated, “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 to many avoidable things. 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, etc.”
Issa-Onilu said the NOA engages in civic education to create the right values that will help most Nigerians become better citizens.
“Many Nigerians are deficient in good behaviour. Both the Ponzi scheme promoters and those that 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. At the moment, we have 193 radio stations and five television stations that we collaborate with for our communication,” he added.
