VICE President Kashim Shettima has called on Nigeria’s judiciary to enhance trust and efficiency within the country’s capital market.
He made the call during the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Judges’ Workshop on Monday, July 7, in Abuja.
He said effective dispute resolution mechanisms underpin investors’ confidence and market stability.
“A strong and trustworthy capital market is fundamental to national economic transformation,” Shettima stressed.
Beyond its role as a trading platform, the capital market mobilises long-term funds that are crucial for infrastructure, business expansion, and job creation.
All these are vital to Nigeria’s development goals amid a young and growing population, the vice president pointed out.
He believes that investors’ trust hinges on a legal system capable of resolving disputes promptly and fairly.
“Justice delayed is justice denied, especially in financial markets where timing is critical,” Shettima said.
The vice president further called on judges to deepen their knowledge of capital market laws and work closely with the SEC to uphold market integrity.
The workshop, themed ‘Repositioning the Nigerian Capital Market for National Economic Transformation through Effective Dispute Resolution,’ brought together the Chief Justice of Nigeria, President of the Court of Appeal, Chief Judges, Attorney-General, SEC officials, and legal practitioners.
On his part, SEC Director General Emomotimi Agama stated that the workshop aimed to enhance judicial capacity, promote consistency in rulings, and foster collaboration between regulators and the judiciary.
Commending the passage of the Investments and Securities Act (ISA), he said, “The ISA 2025 is a legislative success, a legal milestone, and a reform that ushers in a new era for our capital market.
“By enacting this progressive law, Nigeria has taken a bold step toward fostering a more transparent, efficient, resilient, and secure investment climate.”
The workshop was part of the SEC’s objective of engaging the Judiciary in capital market operations, especially on the specialised law, regulations, and ethics upon which market integrity relies.
It is also part of its commitment to a deeper engagement with all stakeholders, ensuring that the provisions of the ISA 2025 are widely disseminated, discussed and fully understood to achieve its goals in restoring investors confidence, bringing timely succour to aggrieved investors and creating a broad-based participation of Nigerians in wealth creation, Agama explained.
“As judges, your interpretations of these provisions will set legal precedents that will shape market behaviour for decades.
“Furthermore, recent cases have highlighted the need for judicial preparedness. This workshop will therefore provide practical case studies on capital market litigation, foster dialogue between judges, regulators, and market operators, and equip the judiciary with tools to handle sophisticated financial crimes,” Agama added.