The approval of ‘BokoHaram Training Hub’, ‘Nigeria Must Scatter’, and others as business names by the Corporate Affairs Commission’s (CAC) new AI-powered registration portal has sparked outrage, as Nigerians are accusing it of prioritising speed and automation at the expense of efficiency, accuracy, and security.
The CAC launched a new artificial intelligence-powered registration portal, the Intelligent Company Registration Portal (ICRP) 3.0, on July 1, 2025, promising to incorporate businesses within 30 minutes.
According to the commission, it decided to ease the process of formalising businesses in Nigeria, especially for startups and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
It stated that the system utilises artificial intelligence to automate critical steps, including name reservation, documentation checks, and data validation. Additionally, it noted that by eliminating the traditional manual review process, it can significantly reduce the time required to incorporate a business.
Meanwhile, users have condemned the new system as lacking the human judgment necessary to prevent misuse, despite the widespread acceptance of the automation concept.
The system recently approved the registration of business names such as “Boko Haram Training Hub”, “Explosives Making Enterprises”, and “Nigeria Must Scatter Enterprises” – names that experienced CAC officers would normally reject immediately, according to findings.
A Facebook user says that using the new portal showed that the commission seemingly prioritised speed and automation over efficiency, accuracy, and reliability, instead of focusing on what is truly needed: a workable, efficient, and user-friendly interface, whether AI-powered or not.
He preferred that, while the previous platform, CRP 2.0, had its flaws, it was at least manageable.
“Unfortunately, rather than perfecting that system, it was replaced with a new platform, the so-called “intelligent” company registration system (iCRP 3.0), which has proven to be unintelligent, inaccurate, and highly inefficient in its current form.
“The rush to automate and digitise core functions, especially name reservation, has severely disrupted a system that many users had gradually adapted to. As a result, the system now allows clearly inappropriate or even dangerous names to be reserved, names that no responsible human approving officer would ordinarily approve.”
He further shared names that have recently passed through the iCRP 3.0 name reservation system without a flag or restriction, which include: Bandits Food Supply, Boko Haram Training Hub, Nuclear Proliferation Services, Explosives Making Enterprises, and Nigeria Must Scatter Enterprises.
He urges CAC to reintroduce human oversight, refine the AI’s logic, engage with users for feedback, and ensure any automation aligns with national security and ethical standards.
Another user states, “I talk this, Dan uwa this AI needs more training to learn how to make these judgements in approving names especially looking at section 30(1) of CAMA that outlines the prohibited names, identical names is normal and easy it can do that, but similar, misleading, undesirable, offensive and names that are contrary to public policy, AI will find it very difficult to address that.”
“Now you see this issue, Boko Haram to AI is just B O K O H A R A M, it doesn’t care, so the AI needs to be trained well with more Data, to avoid all these, even in that case…” he says.
Others also express that they are unable to access their accounts and that the new system poses a significant challenge, advising that CAC must review the decision as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, CAC has responded that some individuals have deliberately attempted to test and manipulate the system.
Mr Ishaq Hussaini Magaji, the CAC Registrar General, in a statement issued on Wednesday, stated that the AI-powered platform is designed to learn and improve continuously.
“The ICRP is not a static system. It evolves with each interaction, becoming smarter and more efficient daily,” the statement read, cautioning against “deliberate attempts to bypass the system’s checks.”
“We value all genuine feedback. It helps us fine-tune the system and serve you better. But we also urge the public not to fall for those intentionally trying to manipulate the process to undermine progress.”