The Debt Management Office (DMO) has assured Nigerians that the various Federal Government secu­rities were safe, risk-free and offered good returns on investment.

The Director-General of the DMO, Patience Oniha, said this on Thursday at the FGN Securities Issuance Awareness Programme in Gombe State.

The News Agency of Ni­geria (NAN) reports that the programme was held in collaboration with the stock­broking firm for the Federal Government, CSL Stockbro­kers Limited.

According to Oniha, who was represented by Mr. Sani Abubakar, Head, Policy Strat­egy and Risk Management Department, DMO, FGN securities are backed by full faith and credit of the Feder­al Government of Nigeria.

She added that they were default risk-free.

She said they offered instead opportunities that guarantee profitable returns without any fear of investors losing their investments.

According to her, investors under the FGN securities do not need to panic as they get their dividends as and when due.

“You can use them as col­lateral to obtain loans from banks and other financial institutions, and they help in diversification of investment portfolio.

“They are also a source of steady income, as inves­tors’ interests are paid every six months or every three months, and they are trad­able on the stock exchange,” she said.

On the awareness drive in the state, Oniha said the event was to educate retail and other investors in the state on the benefits of in­vesting in the various FGN securities.

“This programme was designed to create awareness about the various financial offerings and investment opportunities of the Federal Government amongst the Ni­gerian public,” she said.

She said that it was advis­able for all Nigerians to get actively involved in the finan­cial market, either by buying shares or bonds.