The Director General, Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Dr. Emomotimi Agama, on Tuesday in Abuja said that by formalising Commodities and Warehouse receipts the country’s capital market can unlock $500bn in dormant agricultural and mineral assets.

Speaking at a national workshop of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, Agama said such move would transform the assets into tradeable securities, and help diversify the economy away from the oil and gas industry, thereby creating wealth for the country.

The Investments and Securities Act 2025, he continued, empowers the SEC to take decisive actions to promote the sector.

“The Act sharpens the SEC’s regulatory focus, ensuring it operates with the precision and authority required to steward a rapidly expanding market”, he stressed.

“Today, I speak not just about the Investments and Securities Act (ISA) 2025 as a legislative milestone, but as a strategic blueprint to propel Nigeria into the league of top global economies.

“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. 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 stressed.

The Commission, the SEC boss continued, “now has explicit powers to shut down Ponzi schemes and prosecute offenders—ending the era of “get-rich-quick” scams that erode market confidence.

“Investors are now covered for losses from revoked dealer licenses—a long-awaited safeguard that will boost participation. Trust is the currency of our capital markets. Without it, liquidity dries up,” he further noted.