The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has disclosed that it delisted more than 400,000 inactive and non-compliant companies from Nigeria’s official register in 2025, as part of a sweeping exercise to sanitise its database and strengthen corporate governance.
Registrar-General of the commission, Hussaini Magaji, made the disclosure on Saturday in Abuja during a “Celebration Walk” organised by the CAC.
Magaji said the mass deregistration was driven by the need to protect the integrity of the national companies register, noting that many of the affected entities had failed to meet statutory obligations or had remained inactive for years.
“In 2025 alone, the commission de-registered over 400,000 companies,” he said, explaining that the exercise was aimed at removing entities that no longer complied with regulatory requirements or existed only on paper.
He stressed that the clean-up was necessary to ensure that the register accurately reflects companies that are actively operating and meeting their legal responsibilities, adding that a bloated and outdated register undermines transparency and effective regulation.
The registrar-general also highlighted the commission’s transition from a manual, location-based registry to a fully digital, end-to-end service platform, which now allows Nigerians at home and in the diaspora to access CAC services remotely.
“Today, CAC provides services anywhere, anytime and 24 hours a day. You can register your business from your room without coming to our offices,” Magaji said.
According to him, the digital reforms have improved the ease of doing business and boosted confidence in Nigeria’s business environment by reducing human contact, delays and opportunities for abuse.
Magaji said the commission’s efforts at promoting compliance were complemented by targeted support for small businesses. He disclosed that, in partnership with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), the CAC facilitated free business registrations for 250,000 entrepreneurs to lower the cost of formalisation and encourage participation in the regulated economy.
He also revealed that the commission has operationalised a beneficial ownership register, which allows the public to identify the ultimate owners of companies operating in Nigeria, as part of measures to promote transparency and accountability.
According to Magaji, the register has since gained international recognition as a reference point for corporate transparency and Nigeria’s efforts to combat financial crimes.
He reiterated that the commission would continue to enforce compliance, warning that companies that fail to meet their statutory obligations risk being removed from the register.
