CAC Blocks Company Search Tool On Its Website Without Explanation, Raising Concerns About Anti-Corruption Transparency

For more than six months, features of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) search portal for checking details about company ownership, directors, and trustees have been inactive without any explanation, FIJ reports.

These essential tools, previously accessible on the CAC’s corporate registry, have been quietly disabled. Users can now only view limited information such as the status, registration dates and names of companies. The Commission has not issued any statement explaining why.

Efforts to clarify the situation have also been met with silence. FIJ sent an inquiry to the CAC in July after two unconnected calls. But the email, sent via the contact address listed on the registry’s homepage, remains unacknowledged.

When FIJ tried submitting a formal Freedom of Information (FOI) request through the Commission’s designated FOI email, the server returned an error message. This response suggested that the receiving server may be improperly configured or is possibly blocking certain domains, including FIJ’s.

WHY DOES IT MATTER?
The CAC’s registry has been an essential tool for transparency and accountability. Journalists and concerned citizens have relied on it to vet informed on relevant details about private enterprises of public interests.

For instance, FIJ used the registry in 2023 when it revealed how the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs awarded a classroom construction contract to a restaurant.

Similarly, FIJ relied on the registry to provide details on Pragmatic Palms, a four-day-old company with which the Enugu State Government signed a N100 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 2024.

The registry was also useful in exposing how the Osun State Government violated procurement laws by awarding a construction contract to Oyewusi Akinyode Abidemi, Deputy Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly.

Without access to this information, efforts to trace government contracts, identify potential conflicts of interest and expose corruption are hindered.

PAID ALTERNATIVE OR NOT?
FIJ toured the CAC’s news and press release page to see if it had communicated the ceasure of these services and the reasons behind it. Nothing of the sort had been published.

In the process, FIJ also found an alternative pageto get information about entities on the agency’s Company Registration Portal (CRP), designed for use by accredited individuals.

However, this alternative does not replicate the original features of the now-disabled registry. Most importantly, it is not listed on the agency’s homepage as the official directory for accessing company records.

DISREGARD FOR GUIDELINES
The deactivation of these services without communicating it suggests a clear disregard for the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) guidelines, which mandate regular updates and functioning of government websites.

According to NITDA, if sections of a website become outdated or irrelevant, they should be archived properly, with clear links directing users to new locations for the information needed.

NITDA also says that websites that are deemed no longer useful should be decommissioned only after the contents of the pages have been archived. Most importantly, the guidelines mandate websites to always deliver on promises for new information or services.

Critics have alleged that the move could shield fraudulent practices and enable the proliferation of shell companies designed to defraud Nigerians. “A SAN is heading the CAC, and yet, they are making it harder for the public to access critical information. It raises serious questions about transparency and accountability,” said a concerned citizen.

Transparency advocates argue that the CAC’s decision undermines ongoing anti-corruption efforts in the country. “The inability to verify company registrations not only hampers business operations but also creates room for fraudulent entities to thrive unchecked,” stated a legal expert familiar with corporate governance.

Calls for immediate restoration of the search tool and an explanation from the CAC have been mounting. Observers say the incident reflects broader concerns about governance and the fight against corruption in Nigeria. Stakeholders are urging the CAC to uphold its mandate of fostering transparency and trust in business operations.