By Ngozi Onyeakusi– The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC has said that retail investors are critical to the growth of the nation’s capital market.

Acting Director-General, SEC, Mary Uduk, Addressing journalists on the sidelines of the 2020 Thisday Awards, Mary noted the key role of retail investors and various products to suit their needs.

Advising retail investors Uduk said, “You don’t need to have so much money to be able to tap into the opportunities available in the capital market. For instance, with the government bond, the minimum investable amount is N10, 000 and you can buy in subsequent amounts of N1, 000,” she explained.

“We have collective investments schemes (CIS), we have the stocks that you can buy through the stockbrokers and those you can invest in with as little as N5, 000.

“So you don’t necessarily have to have a lot of money to invest, all you need is to approach the stockbrokers. They can open an account for you and whatever you have you can pay into the account and give instructions in what kind of investments you want to make.”

Uduk said it is important for people to understand the workings of the capital market and not have the misconception that they must have a lot of money before they can invest.

“We have to disabuse our minds of it. I think that is what is leading people into putting money into Ponzi schemes and lose their money. So all you need to do is to go to SEC website see the list of capital market operators and approach one of them to open an account,” she said.

“SEC is very interested in investor protection and that is why we have rules that the players must obey and all these are channelled towards ensuring that our market is safe for investors.

“The smaller the investors the more he/she is protected. We don’t want any investor to go into the market and lose money that will not be good for our market.”

Uduk said the SEC has continued to educate and enlighten Nigerians about the investment opportunities available in the market and urged potential investors to engage professionals who will guide them on relevant products to invest in.