The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) of Nigeria has issued a stern public notice that has sent ripples through Nigeria’s business community.
In Batch 6 of its ongoing compliance drive, the CAC has announced plans to strike off the names of 100,000 companies from the official register for failing to meet statutory obligations.
A notice which is grounded in Section 692 (3) and (4) of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), 2020 was issued on 15th July 2026. The primary reason cited for the registering of these businesses is the non-filing of outstanding Annual Returns and related Persons with Significant Control (PSC)/Beneficial Ownership information. 
The corporate registry has given a 90-day ultimatum from the date of the notice (until approximately October 2026) to the affected companies. Companies that fail to act within the stipulated period will be struck off the register without any further notice.
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What to Do As a Business Owner
1. Check the list immediately by visiting the CAC portal, to know if your company is among the 100,000 companies to be struck out. You’ll need your company’s name or RC number for this.
2. File outstanding annual returns by logging into the CAC system to submit all pending returns.
3. Update your beneficial ownership details on the portal and ensure your PSC information is current and tiled.
4. Regularise all your business records. Make sure to update business directors, shareholders, address, and other corporate details if necessary.
5. Document every update made and forward the evidence of compliance to struckoffcompanies@cac.gov.ng.
If you are unsure about the process or perhaps multiple years of backlog, you might need to engage an agent accredited by CAC, a chartered accountant, or a corporate lawyer.
What Happens If Your Business Gets Struck-Off?
If you do not do the necessary updates required, apart from losing legal personality and ability to operate as a company, you might have complications with banks, contracts, tax authorities, and government agencies.
Getting deregistered can also cause reputational damage and make reregistering the company later difficult.
The CAC is mandated to maintain an accurate, clean, and transparent register of businesses. The CAC strike-off notice and regular exercise serves several important purposes like removing dormant or inactive companies and enhancing corporate governance and accountability.
This move aligns with the Commission’s broader digital transformation and compliance enforcement efforts.
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