In recent months, the operations of Nigeria's Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) have been plagued by an unsettling pattern of inefficiency, unprofessionalism, and unresponsiveness that has left Nigerian citizens and businesses frustrated. While the CAC has the critical task of facilitating business registration and supporting the country’s economic framework, the commission's failure to address key concerns from the public has only deepened the sense of disillusionment.
Since December 2024,
the CAC has been undergoing what it calls a “website upgrade,” a process that has, ironically, led to more
frustration than solutions. It has now been nearly a year, and the commission
is still “upgrading,” with little
progress or explanation provided to the public. Rather than improving service,
this endless upgrade has created a backlog of unresolved applications and
continued disruptions in the registration process. For many Nigerians, this
digital overhaul has not translated into smoother business transactions but has
only worsened the situation.
The
Failure to Complete Business Registrations in Real-Time
One of the most
serious complaints surrounding CAC operations is the failure to complete
business, company, and organizational registrations in real-time. Multiple customers
have raised concerns about the delayed response to applications, with some
individuals being placed on a “permanent
QUERY Status.” In fact, some have been waiting for over eight months, and
their registrations remain stalled, pending various issues that have yet to be
resolved.
The situation
becomes even more frustrating when applicants, who have paid the required fees
for business registration, find themselves stuck in an endless loop of queries.
After responding to an initial query, applicants often find their status
changed to “PENDING” for weeks
without explanation. In some instances, customers have reported receiving
queries about the same application multiple times. One customer, for example,
is currently on their eleventh query without knowing when or if it will ever be
resolved.
This
lack of transparency and constant delay has left Nigerians wondering: What
exactly is going wrong at the CAC? Why are businesses being forced to endure
this administrative quagmire?
CAC’s
Unwillingness to Acknowledge Its Mistakes
Despite mounting
complaints, the CAC has shown little willingness to address the criticisms
levied against it. In fact, rather than acknowledging its errors and offering
an apology to Nigerians, the commission has gone on public forums to debunk the
claims of frustrated applicants. The response has been defensive and
dismissive, rather than empathetic. Instead of being transparent and
apologizing for its failures, the CAC has dismissed the grievances of the very
citizens it is meant to serve.
In a notable case, a
group of lawyers voiced their concerns regarding the difficulties in completing
business registrations in real-time. Rather than taking responsibility, CAC
chose to dispute these complaints, ignoring the reality of the situation. The commission’s
decision to brush aside genuine issues shows a lack of accountability that is
deeply concerning, especially considering the critical role that CAC plays in
the business ecosystem.
An Inefficient Bureaucracy
A significant aspect
of this crisis lies in the inner workings of the CAC itself. One of the most
alarming issues is the sheer inefficiency of the system. It has become evident
that when an application faces even a single query, there is no predictability
as to when or how the issue will be resolved. The process becomes a perpetual
cycle of queries and delays, leaving customers in the dark. Some applicants
have been stuck in this bureaucratic nightmare since January 2025, with no
clear path forward.
A SkyDNews investigation uncovered that this administrative bottleneck isn’t just happening at the online level; it’s also evident in physical CAC offices. Customers have reported walking into state offices, hoping for guidance or resolution, only to be met with indifference and an unwillingness to offer any meaningful help. In one instance, a customer was told simply to “exercise patience,” but after months of waiting, the question remains: How long must Nigerians wait before their applications are properly addressed?
Hidden
Costs and Backdoor Deals
While
the CAC insists publicly that filing applications requires no fee apart from
the official Search Fee and Registration Fee, the experiences of Nigerians
suggest otherwise. The conduct of certain staff and agents within the agency
tells a different story: that “you must
pay us to succeed.”
For
instance, Nigerians who need to obtain the EFCC’s SCUML (Special Control Unit
Against Money Laundering) certificate have repeatedly been told that both the
application and the certificate are free. Yet, in practice, countless
applicants face endless rejections and frivolous queries that stretch on for
months without resolution. Their applications are routinely dismissed on flimsy
grounds, forcing many into frustration.
Alarmingly,
once some applicants resort to paying agents linked to insiders, the same
certificate, previously impossible to secure, mysteriously gets approved within
two days. This raises a critical question: Is the CAC now sliding into the same
corrupt pattern Nigerians accuse the EFCC of enabling in the SCUML process? If
so, this is an indictment of the very system meant to promote transparency and
accountability in Nigeria’s corporate governance. It is time for the Ministry
of Industry, Trade and Investment, alongside the Corporate Affairs Commission’s
supervisory bodies, to wake up and investigate these abuses. Honest Nigerians
cannot continue to suffer in silence while corruption eats deep into
institutions that should be serving them.
A Call for Reform and Accountability
The lack of
responsiveness from the CAC is not only an inconvenience but a barrier to
business growth in Nigeria. Entrepreneurs and business owners are being denied
the chance to grow and contribute to the economy, while the CAC, entrusted with
the duty of facilitating these processes, continues to drag its feet.
It is high time that
the CAC undergoes a serious overhaul. There needs to be an open dialogue
between the commission and the public, acknowledging the flaws in the system
and working towards practical solutions. This includes improving the
responsiveness of their services, providing timely updates to applicants, and
ensuring that any online upgrades or changes to the website do not further
delay the registration process.
In
conclusion, the current state of affairs at the CAC is unacceptable. Nigerians
deserve a more efficient, transparent, and accountable system for business
registration. It is time for the CAC to stop making excuses and start doing the
job it was created to do, facilitating business growth and contributing to the
country’s economic success. The Nigerian people deserve better.
