BY NEWS DESK, FEBRUARY 08, 2026 | 03:31 PM
The Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, has struck off more than 400,000 inactive companies from Nigeria’s corporate registry in 2025, in a sweeping reform aimed at boosting transparency, safeguarding the economy and rebuilding investor confidence.
The Registrar-General of the commission, Hussaini Magaji, SAN, disclosed this on Saturday in Abuja during the CAC’s monthly fitness walk, organised to mark its 35th anniversary.
Mr Magaji said the deregistered entities were largely dormant companies that had failed to file statutory annual returns for several years and were no longer operational, warning that such firms posed serious threats to economic integrity.
“In 2025 alone, we deregistered over 400,000 companies from our records. These were companies that had become inactive and failed to meet statutory obligations, including the filing of annual returns,” he said.
According to him, retaining such companies on the register undermines trust in Nigeria’s corporate system and creates loopholes for economic and financial abuse.
“Such entities pose threats to economic operations. Cleaning up the register was necessary to build confidence and ensure that Nigeria has a credible and reliable corporate registry,” Mr Magaji added.
He explained that maintaining an accurate and transparent register was critical to attracting local and foreign investments, while also curbing the misuse of corporate structures for illicit activities.
The CAC boss described the anniversary fitness walk as symbolic, noting that it reflected the commission’s resilience, unity and steady institutional growth since its establishment.
The commission, created under the Companies and Allied Matters Act, CAMA, of 1990, replaced the defunct Company Registry and was later strengthened by the CAMA 2020 reforms, which modernised its operations.
“CAC is 35 years old today. We are here with our staff to showcase our strength, unity and resilience. This gathering represents how far we have come as an institution,” Mr Magaji said.
He recalled that the commission began operations as a largely manual agency operating from a single office in Garki, Abuja, but has since transformed into a fully digital, end-to-end service provider with global reach.
“Today, our services are available anywhere, anytime, 24/7. We are the only government agency providing complete end-to-end digital services,” he stated.
Mr Magaji noted that the commission’s digital transformation had significantly supported the Federal Government’s ease-of-doing-business agenda by eliminating the need for physical visits to CAC offices.
“You can register and manage your business from your room without stepping into any CAC office. That is what ease of doing business truly means,” he said.
As part of efforts to support small businesses, the CAC partnered with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, SMEDAN, to facilitate the free registration of 250,000 MSMEs in 2025.
He explained that routing the registrations through SMEDAN ensured that beneficiaries also received training and capacity-building support.
Mr Magaji further disclosed that improved staff welfare, prompt payment of entitlements and clearer career progression had enhanced morale and service delivery across the commission.
The fitness walk was attended by management and staff of the commission and formed part of a series of activities marking 35 years of the CAC’s operations.
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