21st December, 2020
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has suspended all physical meetings and visits to its offices till further notice in the wake of the second wave of COVID-19.
In a circular on Friday, SEC said in order to protect investors and not disrupt activities in the capital market, its operations would now become fully electronic.
The agency, which described the market-focused adjustments as temporary, encouraged capital market operators and other stakeholders to conduct meetings and other engagements virtually.
It also advised public companies to take appropriate precautionary measures as recommended by the federal and state governments as well as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to ensure the safety of shareholders and participants at their Annual General Meetings/Extra-Ordinary General Meetings and other meetings which may be held during the prevalence of the pandemic.
According to SEC, the adjustments became considers necessary to sustain the actualization of its regulatory mandate and maintain the integrity of the Nigerian capital market during this challenging period.
The commission added that it would continue to issue updates to market stakeholders as appropriate and closely coordinate with other financial regulators and governmental authorities.
SEC said, for now, all applications should be made electronically to some dedicated email addresses.