The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) says that Nigeria can unlock up to $500 billion in dormant agricultural and mineral assets if the country formalises the trading of commodities and warehouse receipts.
Director-General of the SEC, Dr. Emomotimi Agama, made this known in Abuja during a national workshop organised by the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers. He said that tapping into the country’s commodity wealth and turning warehouse receipts into tradeable instruments could transform Nigeria’s capital market and reduce dependence on oil revenue.
Agama explained that this move could provide an economic lifeline to rural and urban areas by generating jobs, boosting rural wealth, and improving access to finance for farmers and commodity traders.
“The formalisation of commodities and warehouse receipts offers a pathway to convert dormant agricultural and mineral assets into wealth-generating instruments. The market potential is immense—estimated at $500 billion—and this will help Nigeria diversify and prosper,” he stated.
He added that the recently passed Investments and Securities Act (ISA) 2025 has further strengthened the legal and regulatory structure of the SEC to drive capital market reforms.
According to him, “The Act sharpens the SEC’s regulatory focus, ensuring it operates with the precision and authority required to steward a rapidly expanding market. This Act is not merely an update—it is a revolution. It dismantles legacy constraints, embeds global best practices, and positions our market as the engine room for national prosperity.”
Agama said the SEC is now better equipped to protect investors, enforce compliance, and remove bottlenecks that discourage broader market participation. He highlighted the Commission’s enhanced power to shut down Ponzi schemes, prosecute operators of illegal investment platforms, and restore investor trust in the financial ecosystem.
“The Commission now has explicit powers to shut down Ponzi schemes and prosecute offenders—ending the era of ‘get-rich-quick’ scams that erode market confidence,” he said.
The SEC boss pointed out that one of the key safeguards introduced in the ISA 2025 is protection for investors who suffer losses when capital market operators have their licences revoked.
“This is a long-awaited safeguard that will boost participation. Trust is the currency of our capital markets. Without it, liquidity dries up,” Agama noted.
He also challenged stakeholders in the capital market to focus less on debating whether Nigeria can become a $1 trillion economy and instead begin to work on achieving that milestone as quickly as possible.
“The question before us is no longer if Nigeria can achieve a $1 trillion economy, but how soon—and the capital market, under this new Act, will be the accelerant,” he said.
Agama further stated that the SEC’s new approach would focus on building a transparent, inclusive, and globally competitive capital market. He said the Commission is committed to working with regulators, capital market operators, and development partners to ensure that reforms lead to real economic impact.
The Director-General called on stakeholders to embrace the opportunities offered by warehouse receipt trading, saying the time has come to activate Nigeria’s physical asset potential.
He assured investors and stakeholders that the SEC will continue to provide clear regulatory guidance and support innovation while also cracking down on illegal activities that undermine investor confidence.
“Our mission is to build a capital market that is inclusive, transparent, and globally competitive. Every stakeholder has a role to play in shaping the future,” Agama said.
With the ISA 2025 now in full force, the SEC hopes to position Nigeria’s capital market as a central platform for wealth creation, rural development, and inclusive economic transformation.
