Azuka Azinge: She fought, struggled to set commission aright – Top CAC Officials

…When women go zigzag, we (men) are the ones to control them – Hon. Kazaure

A Chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Gudaji Muhammed Kazaure on the International Women’s Day 2018, stated on the floor of the House that: “giving women too much laissez-faire might lead to the eventual overthrow of men. It is good to give women opportunities, but not too much, if you give women the opportunity to take over this chamber, they will mess up, Mr. Speaker.”

A couple of weeks ago, Hon. Kazaure presented a motion for the suspension of Lady Azuka Azinge, Acting Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), who is currently facing trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

In an ex-parte ruling on Tuesday, December 24, Chairman, Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Mr. Danladi Umar before whom Lady Azuka Azinge had been arraigned on an 11-count charge, ordered the Minister for Trade and Industry to appoint a replacement for her.

Though unconnected with Kazaure’s motion, the CCT in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Ibraheem Al-Hassan says Lady Azinge is to remain on suspension pending the conclusion of her trial on charges bordering on the breach of the code of conduct for public officers.

Prior to all the furore, Azinge who until a few days ago was Acting Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), in one year moved CAC from 88th position to 1st Position on the Freedom of Information Compliance Ranking by Public and Private Development Centre.

Some of her achievements include:

Industrial Harmony and Increased Productivity

Payment of the 2013 nine percent salary arrears which arose from tripartite agreement executed between the Commission, the Union, and the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade & Investment. This restored industrial harmony which led to increased productivity. Demand for payment of the 9% arrears led to incessant strike before she assumed office.

Digitalization of Pre-registration Services

Closure of manual operations from March 2018 and deployment of online pre-registration services in all the states of the Federation to enable customers register entities from the comfort of their houses or offices.

Re-engineered Operations

These include complete decentralization of state offices operations to enable customers pick up their certificate at any of the Commission offices nationwide; improvement of service delivery time for name search from 12 hours to 4 hours; and re-organization of departments, units and state offices for efficient service delivery. It also includes the introduction and maintenance of functional communication with internal and external publics by way of functional website and periodic circulars.

Improved Incentives for Investors

This was done by the removal of the requirement for proficiency certificate in the registration of professional based firms to encourage investors invest in such business and hire professionals to manage them.

Effective Implementation of the Presidential Executive Orders on Ease of Doing Business

Faithful implementation of the Presidential Executive Orders on Ease of Doing Business in conjunction with other stakeholders which ensured that Nigeria improved on the Global Competitive Index ranking by 39 places from 2017.

Improved Service Delivery System

These include deepened communication with customers and the general public through periodic customers’ forum, public sensitization, open market campaign and other forms of public engagement, as well as enhanced the Help desk to boost quality of service to customers and the general public.

The Commission also ensured consistent participation in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) clinics under the office of the Vice President. Challenges of MSMEs are usually resolved on the spot at such clinics.

Similarly, CAC introduced Computer Based Test for the conduct of promotion examination for 2017 which ensured prompt release of results and transparency of process. It reviewed the publication of check lists, costs of services and other operational guidelines on the website to ensure transparency in operations and consolidated incorporation forms CAC 2, 3, 4 and 7 into One CAC 1.1 to make registration easier, faster and cheaper for customers.

Business Incentive Strategy

Successfully implemented the Business Incentive Strategy under which cost of registration of Business Names was reduced by 50% from N10, 000 to N5, 000 to encourage the formalization of informal business operating in the country. A total of 244,428 were registered in the nine months exercise.

Introduction of Sustainability Management Principle

This is in line with sustainable development agenda of Federal Government which requires organizations to be managed in the interest of all current stakeholders without compromising the needs of future generation. CAC also sustained Quality Management System (QMS) certification based on NIS ISO 9001: 2015 which ensures total quality management and continues improvement. For operational excellence to reposition the Commission, the maiden Management Retreat on Strategic Planning was conveyed.

Notwithstanding the above and many more innovations she brought to CAC, allegations have been made against her and Federal Government with speed that would have been most desirable in many ailing sectors of the country sent her on suspension.

In 2017 incidentally, Comrade Ibrahim Kirfi, Chairman, Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service, Technical and Recreational Services Employees at the CAC, Corporate Affairs Commission headquarters, Abuja made some weighty allegations against Mr. Bello Mahmud former Registrar General of the Commission during a surprise industrial action embarked upon by staff members of CAC. In the no-holds-barred interview with The Authority Newspaper, Kirfi alleged corrupt practices running into billions of naira with its attendant consequences on poor welfare package of members of staff that triggered the downing of tools on Monday July 17, 2017.

The union leadership accused the Bello Mahmud-led management of the CAC of wanton sharp practices and disregard for laid down government policies on monetisation and award of contracts in its daily activities at the commission.

Comrade Kirfi said CAC was bleeding badly from corrupt practices of the Chief Executive and other top management staff of the agency.

It would be recalled that business activities at the CAC were on Tuesday, July 18, 2017 grounded following the industrial action. The workers are protesting non-payment of allowances as well as poor welfare condition.

Kirfi in the interview disclosed that over 40 per cent of generated revenues by the commission is gulped by the management staff on luxury items including cars and household items, which he said was in blatant disregard for laid down monetization policy of the Federal Government.

He equally accused the Mr. Mahmud and his Special Assistant, Mr. AG. Abubakar of highhandedness and usurpation of schedules of other members of staff at the commission as well as contract sharing.   

“There are issues of serious corruption at the CAC. One, you can see this car park at the commission’s premises, they started building this car park at not more than N250 million at the initial sum to completion. But as it is now, over a billion naira has been sunk into the project because of contract variation. They refused to finish the project.

“I can also tell confidently that if you go to the commission’s Katsina State office, you would assess it to know if it is worth N300 million. If you go to Jigawa State, there is a plot of land that state government gave us free but to fence that land alone which is less than 1000 square metres, the commission’s management approved N16.5 million. Similarly, the commission spends billions of naira on ICT on annual basis, but you can confirm from the customers whether they are getting the kind of services that the management promised them.

“By policy, the commission is supposed to be remitting something to the Federal Government at the end of the year after doing all their activities. But they are not remitting any money to the FG; citing excuses of high staff cost, but more than 40 per cent of the staff cost is being consumed by the executive.

“There is a Federal Government circular on monetisation that is flagrantly disregarded by this commission. With the monetisation policy, all your entitlements are being subsumed into your salary structure. But as I am talking to you, they buy cars for themselves, fuel these cars and maintain these cars. They even use our drivers on weekends; they still enjoy DSTV subscriptions, recharge cards of N45, 000 on monthly basis, gas for their private homes, environmental sanitation (fumigation), and generator allowance. You would even wonder what they do with their salaries. And on weekly basis, they fill their local travelling allowance, while we (junior staffers) do everything from our salaries. Even if light bulbs go bad in their homes, it is the office that replaces the bulbs for the management staff.

“It is also pertinent to state that the commission’s management approves contracts beyond its approval limits, which is also another serious violation of the Federal Government’s policy on award of contracts. Every year, they approve N40 million for purchase of certificates. The approval limit of the commission is less than N5 million; any contract that is up to N20 million ought to go to Tenders Boards. But they award these contracts without recourse to the Tenders Board. While any contract up to N50 million has to obtain ministerial approval. And they also split contracts; which is a serious offence.”

Disputing the Union leader’s position, Mr. Mahmud said the allegations untrue positing that the commission’s inability to meet some of the workers’ demands was based on the difficulty his management encountered in securing approvals from the Salaries, Income and Wages Commission for some of the agreements it entered into with the workers.

On the issue of contract splitting and inflation, the former CAC boss who retired in October 2017 said “these are just mere allegations; our contracts go through due process. There are times when we need to advertise for contracts and we do that. There are situations whereby we need clearance, and we go ahead to the Public Procurement Bureau for the clearance, and we normally go for that clearance. There are situations that it is within my authority to approve; when it is less than N2.5 million, I approve. That is for supplies at the CAC. Any contract that is above N5 million, we go to tenders board and get approval. If it is above the limit of the tenders’ board, we go to the mother ministry for approval.

“And I can categorically say that we did not spend N1 billion on the car park as alleged by the CAC union. The records are there. We did not even spend near N1 billion. And we did not spend N300 million on the commission’s Katsina State office as alleged. The construction of the office didn’t take up to N40 million, including the fencing, the gatehouse and everything.”

Similarly, Mahmud debunked the allegation the commission’s management gulps over 40 per cent of the staff wage bill.

Top CAC officials who spoke under anonymity aver that Azinge since October 9, 2017 when she assumed office, fought, struggled and worked extremely hard to set the commission aright following the challenges she met when she became Acting Registrar General. They expressed concern that in spite of her tenacity to get things done, accolades from across the globe as well as from the presidency, all she worked for is about being rubbished.

Lady Azinge is one of the few to become Registrar-General of CAC, albeit in acting capacity, from the Southern part of Nigeria. Remarkably, the Federal Government for more than 2 years declined to upgrade her appointment to substantive Registrar-General.

Not long ago, the governor of Gombe State, Alhaji Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya  rather than confirm the Acting Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Beatrice Lazarus Iliya as the substantive Chief Judge, chose to appoint a junior male Judge as Chief Judge notwithstanding the fact that Justice Iliya is the most senior serving Judge of the State High Court.

What then is the fate of the Nigerian woman? Is there an undisclosed plot to frustrate hardworking educated women?

Gudaji Muhammed Kazaure while concluding his pitch stated thus: “When women go zigzag, we (men) are the ones to control them. That is why God says they should come under us. They should marry and serve under us. Women play a good role in our lives, they take care of our lives, they take care of our children, they cook for us and take care of every single thing for us.” 

Is this the lot of women in Nigeria?

Lady Azuka Azinge was arraigned before the tribunal on December 23, on an 11-count charge marked: CCT/ABJ/03/2019. She was accused of concealing her naira, euro and dollar domiciliary accounts in Access Bank Plc and Standard Chartered Bank.

Count one of the charges reads: “That you, Lady Azuka Obiageli Azinge, on or about 17th of July, 2017 whilst being a Director at Corporate Affairs Commission and thereby a public officer in the Service of the Federal Government of Nigeria, failed to submit a written declaration of your assets and liabilities four years after you declared your Assets in form CCB1 NO: CACOOO603 on the 17th July, 2013, you thereby contravened the provisions of paragraph 11 (1)(a) of the Fifth Schedule, Part 1 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as altered and punishable under paragraph 18 (1) and (2) of the fifth schedule of the same Constitution.

Count two: “That you, Lady Azuka Obiageli Azinge, whilst being a Director and Serving as Acting Registrar-General at Corporate Affairs Commission and thereby a public officer in the Service of the Federal Government of Nigeria on or about 9th of April, 2019 did make a false declaration of your Assets in from CCB1 N0: CACO00713 by omitting and refusing to declare Domiciliary (US Dollar) AccOunt No: 0001586293 maintained with Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria (Ltd) which has been in operation since 6th of May, 2005 and you thereby commit an offence Contrary to Paragraph 11(2) of Fifth Schedule Part 1 to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as altered and punishable under paragraph 18 (1) and (2) of the fifth schedule of the same Constitution.”

She was also accused of receiving allowances she was not entitled to as an acting Registrar-General of the CAC.

She pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to her on December 23.

Though the tribunal adjourned till January 29, 2020, for commencement of trial, the prosecution, apparently eager to ease her out of office, approached the court for an ex-parte order.

A similar controversial order was what was used to remove the former chief justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen

Ruling on the ex-parte motion suspending Mrs Azinge, the CCT ordered: “that defendant/respondent steps aside, as the Acting Registrar General of Corporate Affairs Commission, over allegation of contravening provision of Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act CAP C1 LFN 2004 pending the hearing and determination of Motion on notice dated on the 17th day of December 2019.

“That the Hon. Minister of Trade and Industry and the Chairman of the Board of Corporate Affairs Commission, is to appoint a replacement pending the hearing and the determination of the motion on notice, dated and filed on the 17th day of December 2019.

“That the matter is hereby adjourned to the 6th day of January 2020, for the hearing of the motion on notice, dated 17th day of December 2020, “the statement added.