Free e-dividend registration ends Dec 2017 -SEC

From Ngozi Onyeakusi, Lagos

The Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) yesterday disclosed that the ongoing free electronic dividend registration for investors will end by 31st December, 2017.
The Director General, SEC, Mounir Gwarzo who made the disclosure stated that total number of e-dividend registrants between January to October 2017 stood at 2.247 million.
Briefing the journalists on the outcome of Capital Market Committee (CMC) meeting held in Lagos, Gwarzo noted that starting from January, 2018, those who are yet to register will to pay the sum N150.00 (One hundred and fifty naira) to do so.
Gwarzo, who maintained that there would be no extension of the December, 2017 deadline called on investors to take advantage of the few months remaining even as he urged the press to educate the public on the free e- dividend registration adding that it was the only way people could come out in mass for the exercise.
“I think we will not continue to extend the deadline, investors should take advantage of the free e-dividend registration exercise. We spent a lot in running the campaign, so anybody that fails to register within the two months should pay N150.00.
I don’t know why some people are reluctant to register even when it is free, so we are still encouraging them to register. When you extend the deadline, people will think they have more time, so there is need to draw a deadline”, he said.
He regretted that e-dividend registrants dropped in October, 2017, from 50,819 and 59,204 registered in August and September respectively to 37,153, consequently, he said that the commission was making all necessary effort to ensure that there will not be another slide this month.