CAC boss dismisses graft, selective appointments claims

The Acting Registrar-General of Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Lady Azuka Azinge, has dismissed allegations of selective appointments, corruption and nepotism leveled against her in a recent petition.

The petition, circulated by the staff union to several agencies, including the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, alleged that Lady Azinge has not reflected Federal character in the commission’s committee composition, flouted rules to get entitlements not due to her, and has been unable to effectively manage the affairs of the commission.

Azinge became the acting registrargeneral on October 9, 2017 after the tenure of Registrar-General Bello Mahmud expired.

In a statement yesterday, in which Azinge responded to the claims, she said members of the examination committee and the central disciplinary committee which the union claimed did not reflect federal character, were drawn from different parts of the country.

“It is false to claim that the two committees do not reflect federal character. We believe the issue is also being raised to cast aspersion on the integrity of the management,” she said. The petition also alleged that the CAC boss has been siphoning money through the upgrade of the Company Registration Portal (CRP). She described the claim as “a mischievous smear campaign.”

She explained that the CRP is the software that drives the operations of the commission and the vendors, Messrs Oasis Nigeria Limited, were engaged by the commission in 2014, upon the approval of the Federal Executive Council, three years before she assumed office.

“The allegation that CRP upgrade was aimed at siphoning money is not only patently false but illogical,” she said.

She defended the appointment of various staff including Mr Anthony Udegbe as justified.