Thousands of Nigerian entrepreneurs seeking to formalise their businesses through the Federal Government’s free registration scheme say they are facing delays, failed identity checks and difficulties retrieving certificates.
The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has, however, reaffirmed that the programme remains free and warned applicants against fraudsters offering to accelerate applications for payment.
The initiative was announced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the 8th National Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Awards.
It allows 250,000 eligible nano, micro and small businesses to register their business names with the CAC without paying the usual registration fee.
The Federal Government is funding the fee waiver to encourage small businesses to formalise their operations and improve their access to loans, grants and other forms of support.
Applicants are required to begin the process through the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) portal before proceeding to the CAC for certificate issuance.
In a public notice dated August 15, 2026, the CAC directed eligible entrepreneurs to use only portal.smedan.gov.ng for the programme.
The commission also warned applicants not to pay individuals who claim they can secure preferential treatment.
Applicants Report Portal Problems
Some applicants say they have been unable to complete the process despite registering through the designated portal.
On X, Chioma Obinagwam appealed to the CAC to “conclude the update on your website promptly,” describing the process of upgrading her business to a limited liability company as “frustrating and impossible” for more than six months.
A user identified as “King of two nations” said he had received a SMEDAN certificate but could not find a clear route to complete his CAC registration.
Nwideedu Barry Benedict also said he could not download his SMEDAN certificate to proceed with the next stage.
Other applicants reported that their approvals had remained pending for several weeks.
Chukwuma Iwube said his business name had been awaiting approval for almost two months, while users identified as “Favour247” and “Offor1111” said applications approved by SMEDAN in July were still pending on the CAC portal.
NIN Verification Creates Further Delay
Some users also reported difficulties with the National Identification Number (NIN) verification stage.
Olajide Ajetunmobi said the portal returned an “unable to verify NIN” message despite the submission of accurate details.
The problem may indicate difficulty connecting the CAC’s platform with the database of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), although the cause has not been independently confirmed.
Nduka Odo described another problem involving an earlier registration.
He said a business name registered in 2021 under a previous Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)-sponsored scheme was searchable on the CAC’s public records but did not appear on his dashboard.
Odo also said no certificate had been issued for the business, despite the registration being linked to his full name.
Not every applicant reported difficulty.
Oluwagbemi Mayowa said his registration took 48 hours and suggested that some applicants may be struggling because they lack information about the process.
CAC Has Faced Earlier Backlogs
The complaints come after previous reports of technical problems affecting the CAC’s online registration system.
Registrar-General Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, SAN, reportedly disclosed at a stakeholders’ forum in Kano that the commission was dealing with a backlog of 7,000 applications after the transition to an artificial intelligence-powered registration portal.
The CAC portal was also reportedly inaccessible for several days in May 2026, leaving business owners unable to register businesses or update company details.
The Intelligent Company Registration Portal (iCRP) is an online platform designed to allow users to register businesses, submit documents and complete other corporate services remotely.
The commission has previously attributed some portal problems to identity-verification and payment difficulties, including disruptions linked to the NIMC platform.
CAC officials have also said the commission inherited an overstretched system that struggled to cope with increased demand from compliance activities such as Point-of-Sale (POS) business registration and annual returns filing.
Commission Repeats Free-Service Warning
In its August 15 notice, the CAC said MSMEs already listed in the SMEDAN database but without CAC registration automatically qualified for the free registration drive.
The commission said eligible applicants should use only the official SMEDAN portal and should not pay anyone for the service.
The notice was issued as entrepreneurs continued to report problems involving certificate downloads, pending approvals and identity verification.
The CAC’s warning is intended to protect applicants from intermediaries who may exploit the delays by offering unofficial services.
For now, many small-business owners remain caught between the SMEDAN and CAC platforms, with each stage of the process requiring applicants to wait for the other system to respond.
