The names of the directors and owners of Orlean Investment Africa Limited, owners of INTELS, are missing from the website of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).
Even though CAC promised to upload the names of the owners of the company on its website since the disclosure from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that he sold his shares at INTELS, all seems to be a ploy aimed at frustrating a LEADERSHIP investigation.
LEADERSHIP seeks to unravel INTELS new owners after Atiku said he sold his shares in the company.
A quick search at the CAC website showed Orlean Investment Africa Limited’s registration number with the address, but details of persons with significant control of the company were not available on the website, despite promises from CAC.
The commission, in its website, made provision for people to obtain details concerning business name, company, incorporated trustees, limited partnership, and limited liability partnership but none of these features gave information concerning Orlean Investment Africa Limited, except the company’s name, registration number and company’s address.
The company which was registered on May 30, 2004, showed in the CAC website that the status is inactive. The “inactive” which was in a red colour had a follow-up instruction directing people to visit CAC and update the status.
LEADERSHIP reports that the management of CAC has failed to disclose the identities of the board members of Orlean Investment Africa Limited, the real owners of INTELS Nigeria.
Atiku had said he sold his shares in the company in 2019.
But when LEADERSHIP wrote to the CAC under the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act on December 5 and December 18, 2023, respectively, and after much back and forth, the commission simply frustrated the efforts of our reporter and ignored LEADERSHIP’s inquiry completely.
For weeks, LEADERSHIP was given assurances that our request was being processed and that the media house would be contacted
LEADERSHIP was earlier told that the details of Orlean Investment Africa Limited had not been updated electronically on the CAC website.
The officer in charge asked for time to call for the company’s file which appeared to be a ploy to frustrate investigation.
The failure of the CAC to disclose the information requested by LEADERSHIP is a clear violation of the Freedom of Information Act, which mandates public institutions to provide access to information requested by citizens.
The CAC’s action has put to test discussion around transparency and accountability in the public and private sectors.
LEADERSHIP management says it will continue to pursue the matter until the identities of the board members of Orlean Investment Africa Limited, the real owners of INTELS Nigeria, are disclosed.
