By Peter Egwuatu

The Securities and 

Exchange Commission, SEC, members of Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria, ISAN, and other stakeholders in the Nigerian capital market have tasked the judiciary arm of the government to always dispense justice quickly on disputes in the capital market in order to guarantee investor protection.

The stakeholders made the call during the 7th  Triennial Delegates Conference of ISAN with the theme ‘Administration of Justice in Nigeria and our Economy’ held in Lagos during the weekend.

Speaking at the conference, Director General, SEC, Lamido Yuguda, said: “The Judiciary’s important work impacts market integrity, investor confidence, market development and market fairness. It is clear that without fair, prompt and effective dispensation of justice, capital markets can never develop.

“Therefore, in our quest to develop a vibrant capital market in Nigeria, we cannot afford to overlook the central role of the Judiciary.”

Commenting, Anthony Idigbe, first Chairman, Capital Market Solicitors Association (CMSA) said he is in support for justice to be dispensed on disputes as quickly as possible.

He added, “Shareholders should continue in their advocacy for good governance and protection of minority interest of investors.”

The Guest Speaker at the conference, Barr. Chuks Nwachukwu, stated that justice delayed is justice denied, adding, “It is not difficult to see the connection between the judiciary and economy. 

The engagement of the people in the processes of the economy must result in disputes which would be the duty of the judiciary to resolve. The efficiency and effectiveness of the judiciary in resolving these disputes is bound to have fundamental impact on the volume of those processes that the people are able to engage in and consequently on the amount of wealth that they are able to create to give themselves a decent quality life.”