Lawyers Accredited Customers & Stakeholders attending a one day training in Abuja, with theme; Enlightenment/Sensitization Training on Beneficial Ownership Information Disclosure & Annual Return Electronic Filing System, organized by Cooperate Affairs Commission, have applauded the A.G.Abubakar, Esq RG of CAC, Management and Staff of CAC on the deployment of ICT in the registration of companies, resolutions of complaints by users of CAC online portal.
Despite the resounding applause, the stakeholders called on CAC to improve on their customer relations and delivery time.
Responding during the feedback session, the Registrar General of CAC, stated that, within 2 weeks, the CAC Customer Care Line will be active and run from 9am-6pm in the first instance and subsequently will run for 24 hours.
He also answered questions on why companies have on their status inactive, how will a foreign registered company operate in Nigeria, can a foreign company be a director in a Nigerian company.
On the status of “Inactive”, the RG clarified that an inactive company is a company whose payment of Annual Return is not up to date.
He said the essence of today’s training, is to avail accredited customers, the required skills to file electronically and automatically update their company from Inactive to Active and enjoy the benefits accruable to an active company in the eyes of Nigerian law. He further stated that any company after paying her annual returns to date, and the status did not change to “Active”, such company should write the commission but most who claimed to have paid, may have skipped some years and when being briefed, most rely on information given to them by their client, which may not be true representation of the status of the company with regards to how many years they are in default or how many years they skipped.
He further warned that customers will henceforth be held responsible for the authenticity or otherwise of any document(s) submitted by them to CAC, should there be any controversy arising from such submission. He urged attendees as professionals to do due diligence to be sure that their clients are not using them to perpetuate fraud. He said where such occurs, the person presenting the documents would be prosecuted.
Customers we interacted with, expressed happiness in the manner the RG personally handled their complaints during the feedback session and prayed that interfaces like this, should be quarterly.
According Ramah of CAC Media Team, the next one day training will take place at Airport Hotel Ikeja, Lagos on 24th November, 2022 and lawyers, stakeholders and company secretaries in Lagos and environs, are urged to endeavor to attend.
