THE IMPACT OF GOVERNMENT BONDS ON CAPITAL MARKET GROWTH IN NIGERIA
The Nigerian capital market is relatively new and has many factors influencing it. The capital market is for sourcing of long term loans, while the floating of government bonds will greatly stimulate the capital market in it’s size and activities. Also, most market started with bonds that are actually floated first.
According to SEC, (2000), the bond market is preferred as the ideal mechanism for the exchange of claims among buyers. Government bonds has interest bearings securities in the capital market and also mutual relationship with itself, thus government stock as an instrument gives the capital market room to exist.
The presence of government bonds in the Nigerian capital market can be traced to the early twentieth century (20th) and also floating of a bond in 1946 by the then colonial government. The Federal government development bonds which were formally introduced in 1959 was designed to provide long term finance for government projects and later most proceeds are leased on regular basis till 1986 when deregulation of the capital market started.
The recent challenges of the capital market in Nigeria was due to economic meltdown from 2009, according to CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria) annual report on it’s fair share on government bonds. The dismal performance of the banking sector was owing to reforms, administrative charges and others of the CBN and SEC and also counter policies within and outside the market are some factors that have inhibited the capital market as well and the impact of government bonds.