Nigeria’s CAC applies fresh policy on delivery of company registration certificates

*Company certificates henceforth to be sent to clients via courier services or electronically to avoid physical contacts

Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect

In line with the appropriate authorities’ guidelines and protocols on the need to curb the spread of the novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) says company registration certificates will henceforth be sent to clients through courier services or electronically in order to avoid physical contacts.

Mr. Garba Abubakar, Registrar-General of CAC, disclosed this while reacting to issues that led to a protest by some aggrieved consumers at the Corporate Headquarters of the Commission in Abuja, FCT.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, Abubakar said the premises of the Commission had been overwhelmed with consumers due to the ease off of the lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The situation has forced the CAC Management to take a drastic decision in compliance with the COVID-19 protocols towards the spread of the pandemic.

“We are a responsible institution. We have to abide by government directives, what we have done is to insist on mailing not to have any physical contact with customers any longer.

“From tomorrow all new certificates will be sent through courier companies and the customers will bear the cost because they are paying for transport or buying fuel to drive themselves to this place, they can as well pay the cost of delivery.

From 10th August every other process will be done by mailing,” explained Abubakar.

The Registrar-General noted that only skeletal service is being carried out at the Commission will no longer allow outsiders to have access to sensitive documents as practised in the past, but operate based on accepted global standard practices.

He stated: “We have been forced to revisit the existing system of dealing with our customers because since the ease of lockdown we have been allowing customers to come to the commission to do their transactions but the crowd is becoming uncontrollable and it appears to negate the Covid-19 protocol issued by the Federal Government.

“For organisations like ours that registers companies, maintains a record of companies and also issues information to members of the public, it has been quite challenging with this restriction on the number of personnel and the working hours.

It is impossible to meet those timelines.”

He added that the CAC formulated a policy that all search reports will now be issued by the Commission.

The CAC Chief said: “We try to impress on the customers to understand that this is unusual times and in as much as we want efficient services it is not possible under the present circumstance.”

It is also recalled that in June 2020, the Corporate Affairs Commission issued a Public Notice informing the general public that a company’s tax identification number (TIN) will henceforth be included on its certificate of incorporation to company owners.

The Commission stated that the move is part of the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) initiative of the Federal Government, and that it will eliminate the need for companies to apply to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) for TIN after incorporation.