E-Financial
Angst as FG Goes After N895Bn Unclaimed Dividends, Dormant Accounts’ Balances
The federal government has perfected ways to borrow funds from unclaimed dividends and dormant bank account balances unattended to for at least six years, thanks to the 2020 Finance Act, despite opposition from stakeholders.
With the coming into force of the law, which empowers the federal government to borrow from the two sources, proceeds from the two sources will stand as special credit to the federal government through the Unclaimed Funds Trust Fund contained in the Finance Act 2020, recently signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Part of the law provides that, “Any unclaimed dividend of a public limited liability company quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange and any unutilised amounts in a dormant bank account maintained in or by a deposit money bank, which has remained unclaimed or unutilised for a period of not less than six years from the date of declaring the dividend or domiciling the funds in a bank account, shall be transferred immediately to the trust fund.”
According to the law, the monies transferred to the trust fund will be a “special debt owed by the federal government to shareholders and dormant bank account holders.”
The law, however, exempts official bank accounts owned by the federal government, state governments or local governments or any of their ministries, departments or agencies.
The operation of the trust fund will be supervised by the Debt Management Office (DMO) and governed by a governing council chaired by the finance minister and a co-chairperson from the private sector appointed by the president.
Other members of the governing council shall include the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), director-general of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), managing director of the National Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), a representative of the registrars of companies, two representatives of the shareholders’ association, a representative of the Bankers’ Committee with the director-general of the Debt Management Office functioning as the secretary of the trust fund.
The law provides that the original owners of the money (unclaimed dividends, dormant Account) can claim it at any time.
But many shareholders and other members of the capital market community had opposed the provisions of the law, saying the government lacks powers to manage funds belonging to private sector investors.
“Dividends are private wealth of investors, either individuals or corporate entities. The idea of converting such private wealth to federal wealth negates the relevant provisions of the rights to own property as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution. Our opinion is that S39 to the extent of its inconsistency with S44 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) is null and void.
The law expressly states that there shall be no forceful takeover of any private movable property of any Nigerian without due and appropriate compensation and or valid court order,” shareholders under the aegis of Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria (ISAN) had said.
According to them, dividends are only available to investors after “the company has paid a host of taxies, including companies income Tax Act (CITA), Educational Trust Fund(ETF) and other taxes are paid to the federal government, including 10 per cent withholding tax on the shareholders for every dividend declared.”
“The statute of limitation provides for expiration of debts after six years. CAMA 2020 by S432 increased the limitation to 12 years. Is government by any chance taking the position that the statute of limitation is unconstitutional?
“Government lacks the capacity to manage the funds and has demonstrated a lack of capacity to administer funds. Imagine a shareholder with an unclaimed dividend of about N1,000 to write /go to Abuja just to make a claim of the unpaid dividend. The stress and bureaucratic bottleneck is too cumbersome and will not solve the unclaimed dividend problem,” the shareholders said.
Chief Onyenwechukwu Ezeagu, chairman, Association of Securities Dealing Houses of Nigeria (ASHON), also said the federal government taking over the management of unclaimed dividends was unnecessary because capital market regulators and operators had leveraged technology to put in place initiatives that are already addressing the issue.
“Generally, the incentives for savers and capital providers in the capital market is the expectation of dividends and capital appreciation. It is therefore our considered view that the proposed legislation, if passed, will be a great disincentive to savings, long-term capital mobilisation and serious disruption of the Nigerian economy since it will take away the only expectation of investors in the market,” Ezeagu said.
Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has urged youths to shun investment scams and embrace the habit of saving.
NDIC said that for a nation to be prosperous, its citizens must learn to build legitimate wealth through savings and then advance to investment.
Mr Adegbenga Fagbuyi, assistant director, Communication and Corporate Affairs, NDIC, made the remarks while addressing students of Lagelu Grammar School, Ibadan, during the 2026 Financial Literacy Day.
Delivering his speech on “Smart Money,” Fagbuyi highlighted the importance of having basic knowledge of the financial system, making sound financial decisions, understanding the benefits of saving in banks, setting financial goals, maintaining financial discipline, and avoiding Ponzi schemes that promise high returns.
Fagbuyi said youths are among the major targets of the government’s financial inclusion drive, adding that the Financial Literacy Day formed part of activities marking Global Money Week, adopted by the Bankers’ Committee in Nigeria as a platform for mentoring youths on savings and investment.
He said, “The government wants everybody to be participants in the financial sector. But how can you be a participant if you don’t know how to save? How can you be a participant if you cannot convert your savings into an investment? So, most importantly, youths are one of the major targets of the financial inclusion drive of the government.”
Fagbuyi described financial inclusion as bringing everybody into the financial safety net by encouraging participation in banking, insurance, pensions, and the capital market.
He stressed that the government does not want youths to become adults who lack knowledge of safe banking practices, insurance, and the capital market.
“Government does not want them to grow old, to become adults who do not know about savings, safe banking habits, insurance, and the capital market. That is why we go to schools to sensitise students to all these basic financial matters, particularly savings, so that our students can begin to learn to save, learn credible investment habits through which they can be making legitimate income.
“We also educate them about the deposit insurance system administered by NDIC. When you save in banks, the banks are supervised and regulated. And if eventually they fail, you will not lose your money. That is what NDIC does,” Fagbuyi said.
He revealed that the sensitisation programme, which started about 10 years ago and is organised by the Bankers’ Committee, comprising the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, and all the deposit money banks in Nigeria, has been held across states nationwide.
He said, “Minimum, every year, we go to 10 states. And we normally sensitise 200 students in each school. So this year, that means we are targeting 2,000 students.”
Fagbuyi, however, said the objective of the programme is not to cover all schools across the country but to set a standard for state governments and schools to replicate.
“But I must emphasise that the objective is not to cover all schools. It is to set a standard for state governments and for schools to replicate. You agree with me that we cannot be everywhere.
“But as a partner, as a key stakeholder in the financial inclusion drive of the federal government, we go to states to showcase what the government’s intention, so that states and schools can replicate. So it is on this note that we always urge states’ Ministries of Education, Science and Technology to replicate and expand these programmes across their respective states.”
In his address, Olusegun Olayiwola, Oyo State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, represented by Alhaji Lukuman Kareem, permanent secretary, Education Inspectorate, Ibadan North, commended the NDIC for selecting a school in Ibadan for the financial literacy sensitisation programme.
He noted that such initiatives must go beyond the classroom to shape young minds, adding that children cannot achieve expected outcomes unless they are properly guided.
“That’s why we significantly appreciate the efforts of the Bankers’ Committee, NDIC, the Central Bank of Nigeria, and all other members for this,” he said.
The commissioner charged the students to take the lessons seriously, noting that opportunities lost may not be easily regained. He also advised the NDIC to expand the programme to include students from neighbouring schools in future editions to maximise its impact without additional transportation costs.
Additionally, Olayiwola urged teachers to cascade the training to other students, who should in turn enlighten their siblings at home.
Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) has set a July 31 deadline for all large taxpayers to wholly adopt the national e-invoicing and electronic fiscal system (EFS)- called digital exchange of structured invoice data between a supplier and a buyer.
This is sequel to a public notice issued by NRS on February 17, 2026 on the implementation timeline and the mandatory adoption of the national e-invoicing and EFS otherwise known as the Merchant Buyer Solution (MBS).
Zacch Adedeji, chairman, NRS, personally signed the public notice informing all large taxpayers of the need to complete the onboarding, integration, testing, and commencement of invoice transmission to the NRS e-invoicing platform in accordance with the prescribed implementation framework.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by Dare Adekanmbi, special adviser on Media to the chairman, “NRS has already commenced compliance monitoring activities in order to assess the level of adherence to the e-invoicing mandate among large taxpayers.
“Consequently, any defaulting member may be subjected to appropriate regulatory and enforcement actions in accordance with the provisions of the relevant tax laws and regulations.
“Affected taxpayers are, therefore, advised to urgently conclude all outstanding onboarding and integration activities and commence invoice transmission before the compliance deadline.
“The NRS appreciates the cooperation of taxpayers and remains committed to providing the necessary support to ensure the successful implementation of the national e-invoicing regime,” the notice said.
Large taxpayers are companies with gross turnover of N5 billion and above.
As of the first quarter of this year, over 1,000 companies had complied.
Compliance with the e-invoicing and Electronic Fiscal System covers the completion of onboarding on the NRS Merchant Buyer Solution (MBS) and successful integration of taxpayer systems through approved Access Point Providers (APPs) and/or systems Integrators (SIs).
Others are completion of all required validation and testing activities; active transmission of invoices to the NRS e-invoicing platform in line with approved standards and guidelines; and ensuring the receipt of only compliant e-invoices with valid Invoice Reference Number (RIN) from suppliers.
Access Holdings Plc has completed the sale of a 7.44% stake in its Ghanaian subsidiary, a move believe is tied to a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) rule capping how much local banks can hold in foreign units.
This was disclosed in a filing with the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) recently, which was obtained by our reporter over the weekend.
The corporate disclosure signed by the Company Secretary, Helen De Cardi Nelson, Access Bank (Ghana) Plc, stated that the outcome of the transaction reflects continued investor interest in Access Bank (Ghana) Plc and confidence in the long-term prospects of the Bank.
According to the release, the sale attracted strong participation from a well-diversified pool of investors, including pension funds, institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals.
Access Bank (Ghana) Plc, listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange, disclosed that its parent, Access Bank Plc, sold 12,085,318 ordinary shares representing 7.44% of the unit’s issued shares on July 15, 2026.
The sale went through the Ghana Stock Exchange with regulatory clearance, including a no-objection from the Bank of Ghana.
Buyers included pension funds, institutional investors, and high-net-worth individuals. IC Securities (Ghana) Ltd acted as adviser and executing broker.
Commenting on the deal, Managing Director of Access Bank (Ghana), Ms. Pearl Nkrumah, said the transaction deepens local ownership and liquidity in the bank’s shares, and keeps management focused on turning its scale into value for stakeholders.
Before the sale, Access Bank Plc held 93.40% of Access Bank Ghana, with the remaining 6.60% already in the hands of other shareholders from the unit’s GSE listing.
Stake sold: 7.44%; Estimated holding after the sale: 85.96%; Public and other investors: approximately 14.04%
Access Holdings therefore retains firm majority control of its Ghanaian unit; this is a partial dilution, not an exit.
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