By Yakubu LAAH InvestAdvocate
Lagos (INVESTADVOCATE)- Arunma Oteh, director general (DG) Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has said about four (4) institutions are vying for the Nigeria commodity exchange (NCE).
Oteh said this while commending ONE African Campaign on its efforts at fighting extreme poverty especially in Africa.
The Nigeria’s SEC DG gave the commendation when she received, Sipho Moyo, ONE Africa director and her “Do Agric” campaign group in the Commission’s headquarters, Abuja Nigeria.
“We are happy with what you are doing especially as it is in line with our message of financial security through saving and investing across various regions, geo-political zones, states and cities of the federation,’’ she said.
According to the SEC chief, the NCE which deals basically on agricultural products is currently undergoing privatisation to enable farmers get as much returns on their produce as possible even as about four institutions have shown interest through the bureau for public enterprise (BPE) in acquiring the Exchange.
Oteh advised the NGO to engage in a similar campaign of financial freedom through savings, investing and starting businesses that will culminate in economic growth.
Moyo in her remark said the ‘’Do Agric’’ campaign is an effort to push political leaders to adopt better policies that will boost productivity, increase incomes and help lift millions of Africans out of extreme poverty.
“It is time for our policies to be smart, specific and targeted at the people we care about to make agriculture attractive,” she said.
On his part, D’Banj Nigerian-born pop singer, who also doubles as the ambassador Bank of Industry (BOI) said that many Nigerian youths have the ability, ideas and initiative to tap into the numerous possibilities in agriculture.
‘’They were however stalled by information and knowledge in access. I will bring the same drive I had shown in music into creating agricultural awareness among my teaming fans, via social media,’’ he said.
According to SEC, in Partnering with it, plans are underway to have D’Banj on its programme even as he is committed to releasing the SEC short films on saving and investing presented to him by the DG to an international audience, in support of the SEC’s campaign on financial freedom through the capital market.
The NGO is an international, nonpartisan, non-profit, advocacy and campaigning organisation that fights extreme poverty and preventable diseases, particularly in Africa, by raising public awareness and pressuring political leaders to support effective policies and programmes that are saving lives and improving futures.
‘’It is backed by a movement of more than 3 million members around the world,’’ SEC said.
