SEC DG celebrates Children’s Day with investment literacy session

Emomotimi Agama, director general of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), on Tuesday, educated children on the basics of investment literacy. 

Agama, who participated in the 2025 Children’s Day celebration organised by Ryan & Jasmine Consult Ltd in partnership with Assetium in Abuja, urged the children to cultivate the habit of saving money to invest it wisely.

Agama SEC prioritises early investment education for children, awareness about Ponzi schemes, and overall investment literacy.

He noted that children’s investments—typically derived from collective or mutual funds in the capital market—are expected to grow significantly, given that children make up most of Nigeria’s population.

“It is important to start preparing our children early around investment culture, sensitisation against Ponzi schemes, and, of course, making them more confident about the future this country has for them,” he said.

“It is a great time to teach the children about the ethos of investments. For us at SEC, this is what we love to do to catch them young through teaching.

“The essence is to teach. We will continue to teach. Mr President has the children at heart. It is important that we, the agents of the president, do the work that we need to do by getting the people to know the value of financial literacy, the value of investment in education, and saving money for the future of the children themselves.

“Investment for children usually happens with what we call the collective investment scheme or mutual funds. That is our investment in children because children below the age of 18 years cannot invest in the capital market.

“The collective investment is growing — over N8.6 trillion now in Nigeria. We believe it will grow bigger. In terms of the demography of Nigeria, you can understand that we have more children than adults.

“It is so important we inculcate the value of investing in children right from the cradle.”

Mary Makanjuola, a representative of Ryan & Jasmine Ltd, also said the event was organised to help children manage their nervous energy and build their confidence to start investing.

“We are celebrating Children’s Day today. Our wonderful youngsters. It is to have fun and learn in the same spot,” Makanjoula said.

“We created the platform to enable children to control the butterflies in their systems and give them the confidence to invest.”

Monsurat Amolegbe, Assetium’s group executive officer, also emphasised the importance of teaching children how to invest early, noting that financial literacy is a foundational life skill that can shape their future.

She explained that children can develop responsible financial habits by learning the basics of saving, budgeting, and investing while they are young.

Modesire Makajuola, one of the participants, said she gained knowledge on how to save and invest in goods and services.

She also expressed a desire for the Nigerian government to improve infrastructure, particularly road construction, and demonstrate stronger political leadership.