NSE members pass resolution for demutualization

COMFORT EKELEME

Members of The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) Tuesday passed requisite resolutions for the demutualisation of the exchange at a Court Ordered Meeting and an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held in Lagos.

At the Court Ordered Meeting, members voted and assented to the re-registration of the Exchange as Nigerian Exchange Group Plc; the transfer of its securities exchange licence and other assets required to carry out the securities function to Nigerian Exchange Limited, establishment of a separate subsidiary company to be charged with the regulatory functions of The exchange post-demutualisation to be called NGX Regulation Limited

The total share capital being N1,250,000,000 (One Billion Two Hundred and Fifty Million Naira) comprising 2,500,000,000 (Two Billion and Five Hundred Million) Ordinary Shares of 50 kobo each to be registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

The allotment of 1,964,115,918 (One Billion, Nine Hundred and Sixty-Four Million, One Hundred and Fifteen Thousand, Nine Hundred and Eighteen) ordinary shares to Dealing Members and ordinary Members on the basis of a ratio of 78:22, respectively

Also, the provision of claims review shares totaling 40,083,999 (Forty Million, Eighty-Three Thousand, Nine Hundred and Ninety-Nine) ordinary shares, representing 2per cent of the issued Shares of Nigerian Exchange Group, will be set aside for allotment to parties who are adjudged as being entitled to shares in the demutualised Exchange.

The transfer of the assets of NSE Consult Limited, NSE Nominees Limited and Coral Properties Limited – existing subsidiaries of The NSE – to the Nigerian Exchange Group Plc.

Following the court ordered meeting, members reconvened for the EGM to determine the board of directors of the demutualised exchange, and explore the implementation of an Employee Share Ownership Plan (ESOP).

During the business of the day directors were nominated and appointed.

They include Otunba Abimbola Ogunbanjo, Chairman and Non-Executive Director, Mr. Oscar Onyema, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Dr. Umaru Kwairanga, Member and Non-Executive Director, Mrs. Fatimah Bintah Bello-Ismail – Member and Non-Executive Director, Mr. Oluwole Adeosun – Member and Non-Executive Director, Mr. Chidi Agbapu – Member and Non-Executive Director, Mr. Patrick Ajayi – Member and Non-Executive Director, Dr. Okechukwu Crescent Itanyi – Member and Independent Non-Executive Director, Mrs. Nimi Akinkugbe – Member and Independent Non-Executive Director, Prof. Enase Okonedo – Member and Independent Non-Executive Director, Mr. Ikpobe Apollos Oghooritsewarami – Member and Independent Non-Executive Director and Mrs. Ojinika Nkechinyelu Olaghere – Member and Independent Non-Executive Director

Speaking at the EGM, President of the National Council, NSE, Otunba Abimbola Ogunbanjo, said, “I feel elated that 19 years after initiating the process to demutualize and on the 60th anniversary of the exchange, we are close to achieving the goal.

“The successful demutualization of the Exchange was one of my main objectives when I assumed the Presidency of the Exchange and I am particularly happy it has been achieved during the life time of one of its founding fathers, Pa Akintola Williams.

“In telling the story of how we have achieved this milestone, we recognize the efforts of several actors involved in this project – including the management and staff of The Exchange, our members, professional advisers, the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other capital market stakeholders – without whom it could not have become a reality,” he said.

Commenting on the successful outcomes at the meetings, Chief Executive Officer, NSE, Mr Oscar. Onyema said, “Today’s meetings move the demutualization process significantly forward and the positive outcomes affirm the great interest from members to support the pivotal restructuring of the exchange to become globally competitive.

“In furtherance of our plans, we will move to file the necessary resolutions from the COM and all other required documents at the CAC and SEC, obtain the Court Order sanctioning of the Scheme, complete all necessary registrations and seek the final approval from the SEC to ultimately demutualise,” he said.

Members of the NSE had approved the demutualisation scheme of the Exchange at an EGM in March 2017, this was followed by the signing of the Demutualisation of the Nigerian Stock Exchange Bill into law in August 2018.

In December 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Nigeria (SEC) in a no objection letter gave its consent to the NSE to hold the COM and EGM that would facilitate its conversion from a not-for-profit entity limited by guarantee into a profit-making, public limited liability company owned by shareholders.