From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged the judiciary to play a more strategic role in building investor confidence and repositioning Nigeria’s capital market through effective and timely dispute resolution.
Shettima, who was represented by Special Adviser to the President on Economic Affairs, Dr. Tope Fasua, gave the charge on Monday, at the opening of a two-day capacity-building workshop for judges in Abuja. The event was jointly organised by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the National Judicial Institute (NJI).
The Vice President described the capital market as the lifeblood of modern economies, stressing that effective dispute resolution is critical to the nation’s economic transformation agenda.
He identified trust, fairness, enforceability, and speed as essential to market growth, and maintained that judicial pronouncements on financial issues can influence both investor confidence and capital flow.
Shettima assured the gathering that the Federal Government remained committed to supporting the judiciary and regulatory institutions to ensure the country has a predictable and investor-friendly legal environment.
According to him, “The capital market is far more than just a platform for buying and selling of securities. It is the lifeblood of modern economies.
“Justice delayed is justice denied, especially in financial markets where time is literally money. Your Lordship’s pronouncements on capital market issues have far-reaching implications.
“This administration is fully committed to strengthening the Nigerian capital market and enhancing the efficiency of our justice delivery system.”
On her part, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, said the judiciary must not remain passive amid evolving financial realities and regulatory changes.
She noted that the rise of digital assets, cryptocurrency, green bonds and other financial innovations require judges to develop deeper expertise in market dynamics.
Kekere-Ekun, who was represented by Justice Stephen Adah of the Supreme Court, described the capital market as an important tool for grassroots empowerment, wealth creation, and national stability.
She said even the most robust laws are ineffective without sound and informed judicial interpretation, and called on judges to embrace continuous learning to keep pace with new developments in finance and securities.
The CJN also commended the recent enactment of the Investments and Securities Act 2025, and praised the leadership of the NJI and SEC for sustaining judicial education in specialised areas like capital markets. “This forum is not just timely, it is imperative. The capital market today is no longer a distant abstraction, it has become a critical lever of economic participation and empowerment. “We must acknowledge the emergence of new financial fortunes, digital assets, cryptocurrency transactions, green financing instruments, and transnational securities,” she said. The CJN added that, “Even the most sophisticated laws remain inert without informed and purposive interpretation.
“I urge all participants to embrace this opportunity with open minds, and reflect deeply. A confident, informed and ethically conscious judiciary is a vital pillar of any thriving capital market and by extension of any successful nation.
The workshop, which attracted justices of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, Federal and State High Courts, lawmakers, and capital market experts, is part of ongoing efforts to deepen judicial knowledge and improve financial dispute resolution in Nigeria.
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