On the 13th of October, 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, SAN, as the 5th Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission.
His appointment was with immediate effect as he assumed office on the 16th of October, 2023, amid pomp and pageantry.
Born on 2nd August, 1982, the new Registrar-General is from the Shira Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Nigeria.
He started his primary school in Jos, Plateau State, in 1986 and finished in 1992.
He attended Government Science Secondary School, Toro, Bauchi State, between 1992 and 1995 and obtained his Junior Secondary School Certificate.
Between 1996 and 1999 he attended Albayan Secondary School, Jos, for his Senior Secondary School Certificate.
He studied law at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, between 2001 and 2007 and earned his LLB (Hons). He then proceeded to the Nigerian Law School and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2008.
He did the mandatory NYSC scheme in Jos, Plateau State in 2009.
He obtained a masters in law at the University of Jos in the year 2012 and went further for a masters in business administration (MBA) with a specialization in finance and investment from Bayero University, Kano, in the year 2014.
Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, SAN, began his career as pupil state counsel at the Bauchi State Ministry of Justice in the year 2009. He rose to the rank of Deputy Director Public Prosecution in the year 2020.
Worthy of note is that Hussaini Magaji was conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, by the Legal Practitioners and Privileges Committee (LPPC) in the year 2021 at the age of 37.
He thereafter resigned from public service to private legal practice, where he set up his law firm, ISHAQ MAGAJI SAN & CO, and started private legal practice on 9th December, 2021, until his appointment with the CAC by the Federal Government.
Milestone Achievements:
The former Deputy Director of Public Prosecution is a commercial lawyer and a former counsel to the CAC before his appointment as the 5th Registrar General by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on 13th October, 2023.
Hussaini Magaji made history by becoming the first Senior Advocate of Nigeria to occupy the position of Registrar-General/CEO of Africa’s largest companies registry, the only body saddled with the responsibility of registering businesses and associations in Nigeria.
The hard-working digital Registrar-General has revolutionized the operations of the CAC as under his stewardship, a record-breaking interface AI (artificial intelligence) was initiated, developed, and deployed for business registration with a robust plan to reduce the registration timeline for businesses to 5 minutes in line with global best practices.
He equally championed the formalization of over four million informal businesses in Nigeria in the year 2024 alone, thereby bringing more than four million citizens to the tax net.
Under his watch, today the CAC Registration Portal allows users from anywhere in the world to transact, update, and register their businesses seamlessly in the comfort of their rooms or offices, in line with the ease of doing business initiative of the present administration.
In view of his hard work, commitment, and dedication, the Commission’s revenue has grown significantly in spite of the current economic challenges and burgeoning running costs in addition to reinvigorating enforcement drive and sensitization activities among others.
The CAC is currently partnering with many state governments, private and nonprofit organizations to formalize informal businesses in a bid to create employment for the teeming unemployed youths’ population in the country and grow the economy.
Staff welfare matters have been receiving due attention as the inherited backlog of exams has been cleared and machinery has been set to commence the 2024 version soon.
Awards:
The Commission has received so many accolades under the leadership of the Registrar-General, and the newest among them is a Gold Level Award for Exceeding Expectations by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms.
The Registrar-General/CEO of CAC, Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, SAN, has won the 2024 Distinguished Govtech Trailblazer’s Award while the CAC emerged as the Best Federal MDA Digital Service Portal.
The double awards were presented at the Nigeria Govtech Public Service Awards held in Abuja on Friday, 11th October, 2024, organised by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR).
The display of unparalleled leadership, entrepreneurial, and administrative skills, amongst other sterling qualities, earned Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, SAN, a Fellowship Award from the Nigeria Institute of Chartered Secretaries & Administrators (ICSAN) on Friday, 13th September, 2024.
Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, SAN, was also conferred with a fellowship award by the Business Recovery and Insolvency Practitioners of Nigeria (BRIPAN) in the year 2024 and also became a member of the Chartered Institute of Directors (IoD) as well as a member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CITN).
In view of his sterling leadership qualities, the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on 7th November 2024 approved the co-option of Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, SAN, as a NEC member for 2024-2026.
The Registrar-General is happily married with kids, and his hobbies include reading, writing, travelling, badminton, and basketball, among others.