How To Register A School In Nigeria With CAC In 2024

Here on this page, you will be enlightened on how you can register a school in Nigeria with Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). Be that it’s a primary or secondary school, below here is the right way to go about it.

Have ever come across the word CAC?

Have you pondered on the meaning and functions? Or who are the CAC and how or what relates it to private and public schools?

I will tell you to worry no more, as this article will help you understand more about the CAC. I will also digress a bit to define and state some of the benefits of the CAC.

The CAC stands for Corporate Affairs Commission. It is a statutory body established by the companies and Allied matters Act promulgated in 1990 to regulate the formation and management of companies in Nigeria.

The CAC came into existence as a result of the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of the erstwhile company registry. Its function is to register business names and provide a wide range of ancillary duties. They render 4 different types of services and perform more than 15 functions. For detailed information about the CAC, you can log on to their website https://www.cac.gov.ng/

In this article, our focus is basically on how to register schools in the Cooperate Affairs Commission.

This board helps to regulate and manage the functions of schools in Nigeria. They are an autonomous body and therefore regulate their duties without interference from the state or local government.

All private schools in Nigeria are registered under this body. As amended by the Nigerian constitution the CAC has the power to shut down any private business( schools, churches, businesses, etc) that is not working in line with the rules and regulations of the Corporate Affairs Commission.

How To Register A School In Nigeria With CAC

For a school to get recognized by the federal, state, or local government. the school must register with the Corporate Affairs Commission. There are two ways you can do your registration with the CAC (cooperate Affairs Commission).

Virtually(online)
Physical(offline)

For virtual (online) registration

First, choose if you are registering your school as a business name or as a private limited liability company
You register an account with the Cooperate Affairs Commission (CAC) by clicking https://pre.cac.gov.ng/register/new.
If you already have an account with the Corporate Affairs Commission you can log in through https://services.cac.gov.ng/login.
Fill out the forms that appear on your dashboard after registering or creating an account.
If you are logging in, you will have to sign in through, email, username, phone number, or accreditation number.
You need the following;

Registration as a business name requirement

If you are looking at registering your school as a business name, you will need to provide;

(a) A proposed name for the school. (the name should be at least two). (b) The address or location of the school is well mapped out.

(d) This includes means of identification, age, phone number, email address, and address of the school.

Registration as a Private Limited Liability Company

If you are looking at registering your school as a business name, you will need to provide;

(a) 2 proposed names for the school

(b) The address or location of the school mapped out already.

(d) The aims and objectives of the school, vision, or core values.

(e) Relevant document of the owner or owners of the school (proprietor or proprietors) of the school.

(f) Relevant documents of the shareholders of the school (e.g. national identification card or number, phone number, email address, and address of the school.

For Physical Registration,

you visit the nearest CAC office around you.
Collect the application form for school registration.
You must have defined if you want your school to be registered as a business name or as a private limited liability company
Go there with the required documentation as listed above
Fill out the form carefully
Pay the stipulated amount of money as directed and get your receipt.
Submit your document, the registration form to the Cooperate Affairs Commission
You have to wait for your registration to be processed. This takes a minimum of 3 weeks

Final Stage

At this stage, the owner of the school has to go to the nearest CAC office to get the particulars of the school and sign relevant documents

If you meet the requirement of the form, and your registration is successful a certificate of incorporation and a form CAC/BN/1 will be issued to the proprietor.
If your school is registered as a private limited liability you will be issued three particulars; A certificate of incorporation, A form CAC 1:1, a memorandum, and an article of association
you have successfully registered your school with the Cooperate Affairs Commission (CAC)

Conclusion

The Corporate Affairs Commission of Nigeria is an autonomous body and therefore is not under any form of pressure or control. It discharges its duties functionally and without any form of bias or favoritism. it operates with legal backing.

All the processes listed above make you prepared even before going to the CAC office. The price to be paid for school registration differs in states.

Yes, it is a corporate body but each state has its own governing body. This makes the account details and registration fees different. You should also note that the registration fee for the primary or nursery school is not the same as for the secondary school. The registration for secondary school is not the same as for polytechnics or universities.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I locate a Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) center?

Just like we have schools in each state, every state has a Ministry of Education, and it also has a Corporate Affairs Commission Center (CAC). You can use your Google map to locate the nearest one around you.

How long does it take after the submission of the registration form

It takes a minimum of three (3) to four (4) weeks to get a reply from the CAC.

Can the registration process be done by someone in my absence?

Nope, it cannot be done because at some point you will be requested to sign some documents. except the person involved is trusted and will be available anytime needed to respond to the Commission.

After registration with the corporate affairs commission can I start school?

No, you can’t. after registration, you have to get approval from the Ministry of Education in your state. the ministry has to come for an inspection to confirm that you have met the requirements before you can open the school.

Can I make a payment online?

You have to get to the CAC office so you can get the correct account details. once you get the correct account details you can now make your payment.