Photo caption : From left;Head of the Lagos Zonal Office Securities & Exchange Commission;Mr John Briggs;Head, External Relations; SEC, Mrs Efe Ebelo;Executive Commissioner (Operations) SEC;Bola Ajomale; Chairman Capital Market Correspondents Association or Nigeria;Mr Friday Ekeoba; Former CAMCAN Chairman;Mrs Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma and Divisional Head Legal & Enforcement of SEC:Mr John Achille at the SEC Journalists Academy with the Theme: “The ISA 2025 and the Future of Nigeria’s Capital Market: Innovation, Protection, and Growth”in Lagos, Wednesday.
The Securities and Operators Exchange Commission (SEC) has directed all Capital Market Operators (CMOs) to fully disclose their compliance level and to compulsorily register tradable instruments under the new Investments and Securities Act (ISA) 2025 beginning from January 2026.
The Commission’s directive was made known by the Director-General of SEC, Dr. Emomotimi Agama, at the SEC Journalists’2025 Academy organised by the Commission today ,Wednesday in Lagos, while speaking at the event with the theme,“The ISA 2025 and the Future of Nigeria’s Capital Market: Innovation, Protection, and Growth.”
He warned that SEC will commence the enforcement of the law once the deadline elapses.
In his words, “This is the time for every operator to comply. ISA 2025 is not optional—it is the law that will guide the future of the Nigerian capital market.”
The DG who was represented by the Commission’s Commissioner for Operations, Mr. Bola Ajomale.
The SEC boss explained that the ISA 2025 brought about a transformative era for Nigeria’s capital market, describing the ISA Act as a “forward-looking legal framework” designed not only to replace the 2007 ISA but to also to reposition the capital market for innovation, stability, investor protection, and global competitiveness.
According to him, “If we get this right, ISA 2025 will serve as a powerful foundation for the capital market Nigeria needs and deserves—deep, efficient, innovative, and globally competitive.”
On what ISA 2025 stand to achieve, Agama further explained that one of the landmark features of ISA 2025 is the unprecedented clarity it provides regarding the mandate of the SEC. For the first time, the Act explicitly spells out the SEC’s regulatory objectives, functions, and powers.
These include:
They include: acting in the public interest
protecting investors,
ensuring fair, transparent, and orderly markets, preventing unlawful market practices and
reducing systemic risk among others.
Speaking on modern enforcement powers for a modern market, Agama said, “This closes a major loophole that hindered previous investigations into market abuse and complex financial schemes.”
“The SEC is no longer limited by outdated definitions or narrow supervisory boundaries. The regulator now has modern tools to protect the integrity of the market,” he added.
Speaking further, Agama affirmed that the Capital Market is not only moving fast but also moving in the right direction in line with 2025 Act.
He said that there is 80 to 90 per cent compliance level by the operators as SEC has been tracking the extent of compliance religiously, adding that it will continue to monitor it
The Journalists 2025 Academy was attended by journalists from print, broadcast and online platforms.
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