Tobi Aminu

The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) says it has delisted 40,000 registered companies that have not recorded any activity. Azuka Azinge, CAC’s acting registrar-general, made this known in Abuja on Wednesday while briefing journalists on the activities of the commission between October 2017 and October 2019.    “We have succeeded to clean up our registration records by delisting at least 40,000 registered companies from our system between October 2017 and October 2019. “The exercise is aimed at ensuring that only names of performing companies remain in our database, companies involved could as well re-apply subsequently if they so desire.” Azinge said 244,428 business names have been registered since October 2017 adding that the commission has implemented the business incentive strategy (BIS) under which the cost of registration of business was slashed by 50% to ease the burden for micro, small and medium enterprises. “We have full closure of manual registration nationwide and deployment of online real-time pre-registration services to all state offices through the company registration portal (CRP), to enable reorganisation of departments and state offices for efficient service delivery,” she said adding that customers can pick up their registration certificates at any of its offices.   Source: The Cable

Lady Azuka Azinge, acting Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), said on Wednesday in Abuja, that the upgrade of the Company Registration Portal (CRP) is to enhance the incorporation process. Azinge, who spoke at a news conference, dismissed the allegation that the CRP upgrade was aimed at siphoning money. She described the allegation as false and illogical, saying that it was a mischievous smear campaign against her. The Company Registration Portal is the software that drives the operations of the commission.       Azinge added that the move to upgrade the software was geared toward ensuring improved efficiency, provision of greater customer experience and ease of doing business. She, however, said that the commission reverted to its previous system when the initiative could not be realised. According to her, the management decided on infrastructure upgrade of certain operational process in two major areas, E-Certificate and Certified True Copies (CTC). “This was an upgrade of pre-incorporation process designed to enable customers to print certificates and certified true copies of filed documents from their ends. “The upgrade as originally designed was aimed at doing away with physical contact with the commission or Federal Inland Revenue Service in the registration process. “The initiative was to ensure improved efficiency, provide greater customer experience and further ease doing business. “But the desired objective was not realised and the commission had to revert to status quo,’’ Azinge said. She, however, said that the commission had deployed online post-incorporation modules where all post-incorporation applications are currently partially automated. According to Azinge, seven high volume post-incorporation processes were deployed on Aug. 19, 2019. She emphasised that the deployment was aimed at enhancing operational efficiency, save cost for both the organisation and customers and also promote ease of doing business. “Pre and post-incorporation processes were already ongoing processes for which payments were made on the Treasury Single Account (TSA) Platform (Remita). “It is difficult to see how an upgrade of existing process that had established mode of payment could result in siphoning money when the mode of payment itself did not change. “The allegation that CRP upgrade was aimed at siphoning money is not only patently false, but illogical,’’ Azinge said. She said that the vendors of the software, Messrs Oasis Nigeria Limited was engaged by the commission in 2014, after approval by the Federal Executive Council.   Source: PM News

The Corporate Affairs Commission on Wednesday said it has paid the over N1bn salary increment arrears which was approved in 2013 by the Federal Government. The Acting Registrar-General, CAC, Azuka Azinge said this during a chat with journalists in Abuja. The nine per cent salary increment arrears had been a source of industrial disputes over the years.     The workers union of the commission had on several occasions shut business activities at the commission due to non-payment of the arrears. Speaking on the development, Azinge said within the last two years that she presided over the affairs of the Commission, funds had been released for the payment of the arrears. She explained that apart from the N1bn, the commission had also paid over N200m as pension arrears. She said, “Within two years that I took over, we have settled 2013, nine per cent salary increment arrears that arose from a tripartite agreement between the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, CAC and the Union, which was a major cause of perennial and industrial unrest. “We have also completed decentralization of all State Offices operations, to ensure that State Offices operate at par with Head Office, and to enable customers to pick up their certificates at any location of their choice.” She said the Commission had achieved full closure of manual registration nationwide and deployment of online real time pre-registration services to all State offices through the Company Registration Portal. This, she noted, would enable people to register their businesses from the comfort of their homes and offices within 24 hours. On the allegations that she is currently earning the salary of a substantive Registrar-General, she said the claim was untrue. She said based on the approval of the board at its 74th meeting, an acting allowance was approved for her based on the commission’s condition of service. She said the post of acting Registrar General qualifies her as an officer of the Commission to earn acting allowance if she acts at a higher position for 30 or more days. According to her, it is based on the belief that the acting RG is an officer of the Commission that the Board on the 8th and 9th February, 2019 considered and approved payment of acting allowance to her. “The Board’s decision was informed by the fact that Rule 6. 06 mentioned did not provide details as to what constitutes acting allowance. “As a matter of fact, the Board at its 74th meeting approved the acting allowances only, which excludes salary. Consequently, the acting RG still earns the salary of a Director. “From the foregoing, it is therefore not true to say that the Board upgraded my status as my letter of appointment was explicit and crystal clear on the status of my appointment as acting Registrar-General.” She explained that the Commission would continue to implement reforms that would support the government’s ease-of-doimg business initiative.   Source: Punch