Sanwo-Olu backs stockbrokers' N5bn training fund
- Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has pledged support for the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers' planned N5bn endowment fund.
- The fund is meant to pay for professional training and skills development in Nigeria's capital market.
- The institute also plans to train 10 million Nigerians in financial literacy with the Office of the Vice President.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has thrown his weight behind the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS) as the body works to set up a N5bn endowment fund for training and skills development in the capital market.
The governor made the pledge on Friday, 23 October 2026, when the institute's president, Fiona Ahimie, brought a team of its senior officers to Lagos House in Ikeja, according to the two reports.
Ahimie, the first woman to lead the institute, came with vice presidents Akeem Oyewale and Jude Chiemeka, registrar and chief executive Ayorinde Adeonipekun, past presidents and council members.
Why it matters to ordinary Nigerians
Sanwo-Olu said the market has grown well in recent years but too few Nigerians take part, which limits how much wealth it can create for the wider public.
He said many people do not know about investment options beyond their day-to-day money needs, and he asked the institute to teach Nigerians more about saving, investing and building wealth.
The Lagos governor said his administration will back efforts that spread financial knowledge and build the experts the market needs.
He also congratulated Ahimie on becoming the institute's first female president, calling it a significant milestone, and urged its new council to keep up its work on professionalism and public engagement.
Ahimie said the institute is working with the Office of the Vice President on a plan to teach 10 million Nigerians about financial literacy and taking part in the capital market, with young people a key target.
She said the institute's 30th Annual Conference, set for 4 and 5 November in Lagos, will look at ways to raise capital, grow the economy and make Nigeria more competitive globally.
She added that government and professional bodies need to work more closely to widen investment awareness, train skilled practitioners and deepen the market.
What happens next
The institute's annual conference holds in Lagos in early November. The endowment fund and the 10 million-person training plan are still in the works, and no timeline has been given for either.
