Despite the decision of the Federal Government to ease the lockdown imposed on the Lagos, the nation’s commercial capital, neighbouring Ogun State, and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, management of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), said trading and its facilities will remain by remote access only.
This, the NSE said in a statement by Oscar Onyema, its chief executive, will enable the bourse to continue “monitoring the evolving impact of this pandemic and make decisions in the best interest of our employees and stakeholders at large.”
The statement noted the Federal Government’s decision to gradually ease the lockdown, of the initial 28-day lockdown, as part “of ongoing efforts to reduce the socioeconomic impact of the pandemic in Nigeria, effective Monday, 4 May 2020.”
While expressing support for the government’s directives and efforts in the fight against COVID-19 in Nigeria, he said remote access to its trading platform and offices is based on the need to prioritize the health and safety of stakeholders.
However, he assured that the NSE’s “employees will keep on working from home except for essential staff who will continue to work out of the office as they have been doing since we commenced remote trading in order to ensure that our operations run smoothly and provide support.
“We expect that you will continue to utilize all of our digital platforms at your disposal to trade remotely and engage with us.
“Further updates on our business continuity plans will be shared with our stakeholders in due course,” Onyema stressed.
He encouraged all to stay positive and continue to act responsibly in line with the guidelines of the appropriate authorities, assuring that the exchange will remain open for business remotely and remain so through this pandemic.
Those who need to engage with the NSE on any matter were enjoined to reach out through its digital and social platform such as “e-mail, X-Issuer, X-Boss, X-Whistle, telephone, our website or any of our other digital and social platforms.”