FG to borrow dormant account balances, unclaimed dividends

Unclaimed dividends and bank account balances unattended to for at least six years will available as special credit to the federal government through the Unclaimed Funds Trust Fund

“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,” the act read.

The act exempts official bank accounts owned by the federal government, state government or local governments or any of their ministries, departments or agencies

It also states that the original owners of the money can claim it at any time

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 and the director-general of the Debt Management Office as the secretary of the trust fund.

Featured image: Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance, budget and national planning