By Peter OBIORA InvestAdvocate

Lagos (INVESTADVOCATE)-The Nigeria’s Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced that there are five (5) million Retail Investors in the Nigerian Capital Market (NCM).

Arunmah Oteh, Director General (DG) of the Commission Tuesday made this disclosure at a Media Parley with Capital Market Correspondents in Lagos Nigeria.

“We have already indicated our determination to encourage a greater participation of domestic investors in our Market. Today we have about 5 million Retail Investors which represents less than 3% of the population of about 167 million people” she said.

Oteh affirmed that the Nigerian Capital Market (NCM) have witnessed a significant participation of Foreign Investors in years 2010 and 2011.

“We have also seen both in 2010 and 2011 a significant participation of Foreign Investors in our Market” Oteh said.

She encourages Nigerians to equally see the investment opportunities in our Market as the Foreign Investors have done; taking advantage of the huge investments opportunities therein.

“Our Equities are considered on a Price Earning Ratio of about 7% the most undervalued when you compare us with other countries in sub Sahara Africa” she said.

As earlier reported, the NSE has affirmed that the Retail Investors in the Nigerian Capital Market accounts for N704 billion of the total Market value.

Bola Adeeko, Head, Corporate Division and Chief of Staff at the NSE at an interactive session with Journalist last week said this amount represents 11% of the current Market value or Capitalisation of listed Equities on the Nigerian Bourse.

According to Adeeko, this amount showed that Retail Investors were not fully participating in the Equities Market of the Nigeria’s Exchange.

He said that Institutional Investors patronise the Market more, “this was a worrisome development, which the NSE has set out to address through intensive investor-education” Adeeko said.