The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has intensified efforts to promote financial literacy and a savings culture among young Nigerians through a sensitisation programme organised for secondary school students in Bayelsa State.
The one-day lecture, held in Yenagoa as part of activities marking Financial Literacy Day, brought together students from five secondary schools across the state.
Speaking during the event at Community Primary School, Opolo, Manager in the Communication and Public Affairs Department of the NDIC, Ms Phoebe Ugot, said the initiative was aimed at creating awareness about the corporation’s mandate and encouraging students to embrace savings as a pathway to wealth creation.
Ugot explained that the NDIC remains committed to educating young people on sound financial practices while assuring participants that funds deposited in Nigeria’s banking system are safe.
She noted that targeting students forms part of the corporation’s broader strategy to instill financial discipline and savings habits from an early age.
“We’re trying to catch them young. We are working to build a savings culture in Nigeria because one thing Nigeria lacks is financial literacy. Every year, we organise programmes on Financial Literacy and World Savings Day to encourage a culture of saving among Nigerians,” she said.
According to her, introducing financial education at the secondary school level will help students develop positive financial habits that can guide them throughout their lives.
Also speaking, Principal Manager in the Communication and Public Affairs Department of the NDIC, Mrs Bokpere Adeghe, said the sensitisation programme was designed in two phases, covering the core mandate of the corporation as well as financial literacy, savings, and investment education.
Adeghe urged the students to begin financial planning early and cultivate the habit of intentional saving, stressing that financial discipline is essential for long-term financial security.
She also encouraged residents of Bayelsa State to embrace financial literacy as a tool for making informed financial decisions and improving personal financial management.
“Saving is intentional. If you’re not intentional, you won’t save. You must be determined, even as adults. It is only when you start and see the little progress that you become encouraged to continue,” she said.
According to Adeghe, financial literacy involves equipping individuals with the knowledge required to make informed decisions regarding income, spending, saving, and investment.
The NDIC said the initiative forms part of its ongoing efforts to deepen financial inclusion, improve financial awareness, and foster a culture of prudent financial management among Nigerians, particularly the younger generation.
