WorldStage Newsonline– The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the National Judicial Institute (NJI) have engaged judges to better educate them on the provisions of the new Investment and Securities Act (ISA, 2025).
Speaking at a two-day workshop, the Director-General of SEC, Dr Emomotimi Agama, said the workshop was part of the commission’s commitment toward ensuring that the provisions of the ISA 2025 were widely disseminated, discussed and fully understood.
Agama said the goal was to restore investors confidence, bring timely succour to aggrieved investors and create a broad-based participation of Nigerians in wealth creation.
He added that the workshop was part of the commission’s objective to engage the judiciary in all aspects of capital market operations especially on the specialised law, regulations and ethics upon which market integrity heavily relies on.
According to him, the workshop will deepen understanding of capital market laws under the ISA 2025, explore emerging judicial trends in securities litigation and strengthen ethical decision-making in financial disputes.
”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,” he said.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, said the workshop was a platform for self-examination and renewal; a crucible for deepening judges understanding of the demands that modern financial adjudication places on the Bench.
Kekere-Ekun was represented at the event by Justice Stephen Adah, the Justice of the Supreme Court.
She said judges must acknowledge the emergence of new financial frontiers—digital assets, cryptocurrency transactions, green financing instruments and transnational securities.
”The decisions we render in the capital market disputes reverberate beyond the courtroom; they shape public confidence, influence investor behaviour, and impact the stability of financial institutions.
”Let us not lose sight of the powerful signals our decisions send.
”When justice is swift, sound, and credible, capital is attracted, innovation flourishes, and prosperity becomes inclusive,” she said.
Sen. Osita Izunaso, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Capital Market, said the one trillion dollar economy target of the Federal Government could only be achieved with a strengthened capital market.
Izunaso commended SEC for the workshop saying it would better equip judges on developing intricacies in the capital market.
He called on SEC to also engage the Nigerian Bar Association and the public to unveil the content of ISA, 2025.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wake Edun, said the engagement was a testament to the ongoing commitment of SEC and the NJI to the promotion of the rule of law, the entrenchment of financial market neutrality.
Edun, represented by Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, the Minister of State, Finance, said the regulatory oversight of the country’s capital market was central to attracting investment, promoting financial inclusion, and supporting entrepreneurship.
”I am pleased to note that SEC has remained steadfast in discharging its mandate, and has aligned its regulatory practices with global standards,” he said.
The Administrator of the NJI, Justice Salisu Abdullahi, said the NJI remained committed to advancing the frontiers of knowledge through programmes that were relevant, rigorous, and forward-looking.
”I wish to assure Your Lordships that we shall continue to design and deliver content that addresses the practical realities of our Courts, the ethical responsibilities of our offices, and the intellectual demands of our evolving jurisprudence,” he said.
The workshop is with the theme: ‘Repositioning the Nigerian Capital Market for National Economic Transformation through Effective Dispute Resolution.’
