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Friday 11 October, 2019 / 03:34PM / Press Release by CAC/Header Image Credit: PM News
The Corporate Affairs Commission in a recent Press
Release noted that the Acting Registrar-General, Lady
Azuka Azinge, has spent
two years at the helm. Azinge became the Acting Registrar on October 9, 2019
upon the end of the tenure of the former Registrar-General, Mr. Bello Mahmud.
The Release noted that within the 2 years Azinge had taken charge of the Commission the Agency had accomplished
the following:
The Road To Performance
In addition
to theses achievements the Commission has also in the last two years achieved
the following:
Romancing MSME's
Building
Quality, Sustaining Standards, and Introducing Technology
The
Commission has been able to improve processes, procedures and performance by
way of a new attitude to administration resulting in the following:
Enlarging
The Ease of Doing Business
The foregoing and other reforms
ensured that Nigeria made significant progress in the Ease of Doing Business
Index in 2017 and 2018. The reforms also earned the Commission several
outstanding awards.
RECOGNITION/AWARDS
These achievements led to the following
recognition/ awards:
1. Award of best performing Ministry
Department and Agency (MDA) by Presidential Enabling Business Environment
Council (PEBEC) "Distinguished 2017 PEBEC Impact Award"- 11th December,
2017.
2. "Best Agency for Ease of Doing Business
in Nigeria" National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) for
the year 2017.- 9th November, 2017.
3. "Best MDA Compliance to
Information Technology Clearance Policy for Year 2017" - NITDA- 9th November,
2017.
4 "Most Innovative use of Technology
Team of the year Award" November, 2018.
5 "AES Government Parastatal of the
Year Award 2017" by Academy for Entrepreneurial Studies, 8th December, 2017.
6 "Star Agency for National Micro,
Small and Medium Enterprises (NMSMEs) Clinics for Viable Enterprises" by the
Vice-President and Initiator of NMSMEs Clinics- 19th December, 2017.
7. "Award for Digital Innovation in
Federal Government Category for 2019" by Nigeria Internet Registration
Association (NIRA) 5th July, 2019.
8. "World Bank Doing Business
Ranking Award 2019".
9. "Award for outstanding Support
for Development of MSMEs 2019" during the 2nd National MSME's Award 2019- 1st
August, 2019.
Of Petitions and Commission Performance
In spite of the numerous milestones
and achievements outlined above and many others too numerous to mention, some
unscrupulous individuals and their sponsors have authored several petitions
against her person and the Commission to several Agencies including the Federal
Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment.
Rather than wait for the outcome of
the petitions, they apparently resorted to media trial on the same issue as
evidenced by the articles published in theNigerianlawyer.com of 25th September,
2019 and newsdigest.org/news of 24th
September, 2019.
Setting The Records Straight
For the avoidance of doubt, we wish
to state the correct position on the various issues and put the record straight
as follows:
1. Composition of Committees:
Rule 2.14 and 2.15 of the
Commission's Conditions of Service provide for the Central Disciplinary
Committee (CDC) and the Examination Committee. There are however several other
operational Committees such as the Procurement Committee, Budget Committee,
Sports Committee, Anti-Corruption Committee, Sustainability Finance Committee
and Industrial Relations Committee filled by members of Staff from different
parts of the country and departments. The members of the Examination Committee
and the Central Disciplinary Committee which the Union made an issue thereof as
not reflecting Federal character are drawn from different parts of the country.
The Bio data of members of the Committee are available at Human Resource
Department for confirmation.
The Examination Committee was
reconstituted in response to stringent demand for it by the Union. It
should be noted that in respect of Mr. A.G Abubakar and Mr. Munir Wambai,
the Union had by its letter dated 17/6/2017 demanded that the duo be removed
from the Examination Committee. The demand later turned to total disbandment of
the Committee. Curiously, the demand is now being made for inclusion of the
same names earlier rejected.
Generally, Composition of Committees
and the Examination and Disciplinary Committees in particular, in addition to
functional representation require that persons of proven integrity are
nominated into those Committees to provide exemplary leadership. Nomination
into those Committees therefore take due cognizance of knowledge, skill,
character, integrity and trust. It is improper for anyone or group to dictate
to Management who and who should be members of a specific Committee.
It is false to claim that the two
Committees do not reflect Federal Character. The issue of federal character is
just being invoked to whip up sentiments and sow seed of discord between
Management and Staff. We believe the issue is also being raised to cast
aspersion on the integrity of the Management.
2. Upgrade of Company
Registration Portal (CRP):
The Company Registration Portal is
the software that drives the operations of the Commission. The vendors of the
software Messrs Oasis Nigeria Limited was engaged by the Commission in 2014,
upon the approval of the Federal Executive Council, three years before Lady
Azuka Azinge assumed office.
The Management had decided on
infrastructure upgrade of certain operational process in two major areas:
i) E-Certificate and Certified True
Copies (CTC): This was an upgrade of Pre- Incorporation
process designed to enable customers to print certificates and Certified True
Copies of filed documents from their ends. The upgrade as originally designed
was aimed at doing away with physical contact with the Commission or Federal
Inland Revenue Service in the registration process. The initiative was to
ensure improved efficiency, provide greater customer experience and further
ease doing business. The desired objective was not realized and the Commission
had to revert to status quo.
ii) Deployment of Online Post
Incorporation Modules: All post incorporation applications are currently
partially automated. Seven high volume post incorporation processes were
deployed on the 19/8/2019. The deployment was aimed at enhancing operational
efficiency, save cost for both the organization and customers and also promote
Ease of Doing Business.
Pre and Post incorporation processes
were already on-going processes for which payments were made on the Treasury
Single Account (TSA) Platform (Remita). It is difficult to see how an upgrade
of existing process that had established mode of payment could result into
siphoning money when the mode of payment itself did not change. The allegation
that CRP upgrade was aimed at siphoning money is not only patently false but
illogical. It is a mischievous smear campaign against the person of Lady
Azinge.
We await proof of this allegation by
the authors.
3. Contract Appointment for
Anthony Udegbe:
The offer of contract appointment to
Mr. Anthony Udegbe was made pursuant to Rule 3.05(d) of the Commission's
Conditions of Service which provides for such appointment. It was duly approved
by the Commission's Board as required by clause 3.02 of the Conditions
of Service. It is difficult to ascribe bias to a collective decision of the
Board with membership drawn from different parts of the Country.
The contract appointment was not
premised on his indispensability or any other consideration but rather to
ensure that the high standard and effectiveness of the Board Secretariat was
preserved. It was also to ensure that he mentors other officers to take over
from him at the end of the contract period.
Mr. Anthony Udegbe was offered a
fresh appointment when he joined the Commission in 1991. There was no transfer
of service for any staff then. The Commission itself is not up to 30 years. The
allegation of working for 38 years is consequently baseless and clearly
mischievous.
The allegation that two other
members of staff (Jamilu Nalado and Aminu Abubakar) asked for similar treatment
but were denied is false. The two mentioned staff never asked for contract
appointment prior to their retirement. One only lobbied for special
consideration for promotion which was not sustained. Their subsequent belated
requests for contract appointments were instigated to create false impression
of discrimination by Management in handling these issues.
4. Acting Head of Public Affairs
Department:
Mr. Moses Adaguusu, a Deputy
Director and a Legal Practitioner of 30 years standing at the Bar was
redeployed to the Public Affairs Department in July, 2014 by the former RG
because of his belief that the staff as an author, Senior Editor of the
Nigerian Weekly Law Reports (NWLR), Nigerian Banking Law Reports (NBLR),
Nigerian Company Law Reports (NCLR), Bar and Bench Publishers, and several
reputable Law Reports could add value to the work of that Department. He being
the most senior officer when the Acting Head of the Public Affairs Department
Mr. Godfrey Ike retired from service in May, 2019 became Acting Head of Public
Affairs. His position is as a result of seniority and merit. There is no
statutory provision in the Criminal Code, Penal Code or Nigerian Institute of
Public Relations (NIPR) Act itself which criminalizes such succession based on
seniority.
This allegation and the publication
is also a subtle attempt to determine which Staff should be posted to which
Department without due regard to merit, competence and seniority.
5. Acting Registrar-General's
Remuneration:
By a letter No T/FAL/233119/S/302117
dated 28th September, 2017 issued by FMITI and signed by O. Ogenyi (Ag.
Permanent Secretary for the Honourable Minister, Lady Azuka Azinge was
appointed as Acting Registrar-General with effect from 9th October, 2017. The
post of Acting Registrar-General qualifies her as an Officer of the Commission
within the meaning of Rule 6. 06 of the Commission's Conditions of
Service to earn acting allowance if she acts at a higher position for 30 or
more days. It was based on the belief that the Acting RG is an officer of the
Commission that the Board on the 8th & 9th February, 2019 considered and
approved payment of acting allowance to her. The Board's decision was informed
by the fact that Rule 6. 06 mentioned above did not provide details as
to what constitutes acting allowance. As a matter of fact, the Board at its
74th meeting approved the acting allowances only, which excludes salary.
Consequently, the Ag. RG still earns the salary of a Director.
From the foregoing, it is therefore
not true to say that the Board upgraded her status from overseeing Director to
that of Acting Registrar-General as erroneously reported in the press as her
letter of appointment was explicit and crystal clear on the status of her appointment
as Acting Registrar-General.
It is also not correct to say that
the matter was presented to the Board twice or that Board excerpts on the
matter was presented to His Excellency Prince Dapo Abiodun the then Chairman of
the Board and he declined to sign the excerpts for the reason that the matter
was never on the agenda. The Chairman of the Board does not sign excerpts. It
is rather minutes of meeting approved at subsequent meetings that are signed by
the Chairman and Secretary.
Previous
Media Reports
The media reportage on this matter was deliberate fabrication to portray false recalcitrance.
We believe the media campaigns are
blatant attempts to distract the Ag. RG and the Management team from the
excellent job they have been doing in the Commission which has significantly
contributed to Nigeria's ranking on the Global Ease of Doing Business Index as
copiously acknowledged and honoured locally and internationally.
Finally, we submit that all the
allegations contained in several petitions dished out to different agencies
which were published in the media are baseless.
We wish to stress that the Ag.
Registrar-General and the Management of CAC remain committed to the reform
agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari Administration to take Nigeria to the next
level.
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