The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has launched a nationwide awareness campaign aimed at helping Nigerians recover unclaimed dividends, inherited shares and other financial assets belonging to investors.

The initiative was unveiled in Abuja through a Probate/Unclaimed Monies Awareness and Investor Clinic, where investors, beneficiaries and estate administrators were educated on the procedures for accessing assets left behind by deceased relatives.

Speaking at the programme, SEC Director-General, Dr Emomotimi Agama, said the Commission was concerned about the difficulties many beneficiaries face in accessing legitimate investments belonging to deceased family members.

Agama explained that some families struggle to obtain essential documents such as probate, letters of administration and death certificates, making it difficult for them to claim shares, dividends and other investments belonging to their deceased relatives.

He said the campaign was designed to bridge the gap between investors’ legal ownership of financial assets and their ability to access those assets, particularly where the original investors are deceased.

The SEC is collaborating with relevant stakeholders, including Meristem Registrars and Probate Services Limited, the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Probate Registry, the National Population Commission and capital market registrars, to provide guidance and practical support to beneficiaries.

The initiative will also provide one-on-one assistance to investors and beneficiaries on issues such as tracing investments, verifying shareholder records, resolving probate-related challenges, transferring shares and processing claims.

The Acting Chief Executive Officer of Meristem Registrars and Probate Services Limited, Nkechinyelu Okoye, identified inadequate awareness, poor estate planning and incomplete Know Your Customer (KYC) records as some of the factors responsible for the accumulation of unclaimed financial assets.

Okoye noted that some beneficiaries were unaware that shares, bonds, dividends and other investments formed part of a deceased person’s estate, while others were unaware that their relatives had investments in the capital market.

She therefore urged investors to prepare valid wills, maintain proper records of their investments and regularly update their KYC information to make it easier for their beneficiaries to access their assets when necessary.

The SEC has also encouraged investors to take advantage of the existing processes for tracing unclaimed dividends and completing e-dividend registration through their banks and registrars.

The Commission said the campaign forms part of its broader investor-protection efforts to reduce the volume of dormant and unclaimed assets in the capital market while ensuring that rightful owners and beneficiaries can access funds legally belonging to them.

The nationwide campaign is expected to increase public awareness about unclaimed investments and help more Nigerians recover dividends, shares and other financial assets that have remained inaccessible for years.