The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has deregistered more than 400,000 companies for failing to file their 2025 annual returns, the Registrar-General, Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, has disclosed.
Magaji made this known on Saturday in Abuja during a fitness walk organised as part of activities marking the commission’s 35th anniversary.
He explained that the affected companies were struck off the commission’s register in accordance with the law, noting that the exercise was aimed at sanitizing the corporate registry and enforcing compliance with statutory obligations.
Reflecting on the commission’s evolution since its establishment in 1991, the registrar-general said the CAC had transitioned from manual operations to a fully digital, end-to-end corporate registry offering round-the-clock services.
“The commission has come a long way from the manual era to a fully digital system.
“Today, CAC is the only agency providing end-to-end digital services anywhere, anytime,” Magaji said.
He noted that while the commission initially operated from a single office in Abuja, it now serves millions of Nigerians and businesses across the world.
According to him, the CAC has played a significant role in facilitating business creation and enhancing Nigeria’s ease of doing business, enabling entrepreneurs to register companies remotely without visiting any CAC office.
“You can now register a business from the comfort of your room. This is part of the ease of doing business that CAC has achieved,” he added.
Magaji also revealed that the commission was collaborating with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) to support small businesses, disclosing that 250,000 free business registrations were provided to Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) nationwide in 2025.
“In 2025, we gifted 250,000 registrations to MSMEs through SMEDAN, which supports businesses with training and other services,” he said, reaffirming the commission’s commitment to supporting small enterprises as a strategy for economic stability.
On staff welfare, the registrar-general said the CAC had introduced new initiatives, including housing and vehicle loan schemes, as well as enhanced healthcare support for its workforce.
He further disclosed plans to establish a CAC-managed healthcare facility within the year to serve both serving and retired staff, aimed at improving access to medical services and reducing out-of-pocket expenses.
Magaji added that the commission had cleared all outstanding staff claims and prioritized welfare issues to boost service delivery, reaffirming the CAC’s commitment to maintaining global standards and urging staff to remain dedicated to the commission’s mandate.
