Financial literacy: Why we’re targeting secondary school students – NDIC

The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation said its push for financial literacy among young minds, especially secondary school students, is borne out of the need to build a long-term savings culture, promote financial independence and protect young people from financial fraud.

The Principal Manager, Communication and Public Affairs of the corporation, Sa’adatu Bowsan, stated this while addressing students of the Federal Technical College, Ukana Offot, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on financial literacy.

The event, themed “Smart Money Talks,” was held at the college hall on Thursday.

The event was held as part of activities to commemorate Financial Literacy Day 2026, an annual awareness campaign driven by the NDIC and the Central Bank of Nigeria, which emphasises the importance of open conversations about money to help individuals, especially young people, build confidence and make informed financial decisions.

Bowsan said the initiative is anchored on the belief that the young people of today will become the adults of tomorrow, hence the need to inculcate the right financial habits in them.

She said Financial Literacy Day is a global initiative of the Bankers’ Committee aimed at encouraging young people, particularly secondary school students, to cultivate the habit of saving.

“We are here in Akwa Ibom State as part of the commemoration of Financial Literacy Day 2026, which is a global initiative of the Bankers’ Committee. We are here basically to teach financial literacy, targeting young people such as secondary school students.

The whole idea behind financial literacy is to target them while they are young. We figured out that the young people of today will grow up to be the adults of tomorrow, so we inculcate the right habits in them so that they will become better adults tomorrow. The idea will promote financial independence and protect young people from financial fraud,” Bowsan said.

The Zonal Controller of the NDIC, Port Harcourt Zonal Office, Adefemi Shaba, highlighted the need for young people to make informed financial decisions.

He said although the lessons might not seem very useful to the students at this stage of their lives, they would become more relevant by the time they progressed to the university level.

According to him, “We are here for the commemoration of Financial Literacy Day 2026, where we introduce students to saving habits and encourage them to save. We do this so that as the students grow up, they already have the habit of saving.”

He said the corporation also used the opportunity to educate the students on its mandates and activities, which include protecting depositors, guaranteeing the settlement of insured funds when a financial institution fails, and maintaining financial system stability.

One of the students, Ms Udeme Effiong, expressed appreciation to the NDIC for selecting the Federal Technical College for the programme, saying it had broadened her knowledge of financial literacy.

“I wish to thank the NDIC for choosing our school for this important teaching. I can now tell others what financial literacy is all about,” she said.