Scores of young Nigerians under the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) on Thursday staged a protest at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) headquarters in Abuja following the Commission’s recent deregistration of the council.
Led by NYCN President Ambassador Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo, the protesters announced the start of a 30-day nationwide demonstration to demand the reversal of the deregistration and the removal of CAC Registrar-General, Hussaini Ishaq Magaji (SAN).
The youth body accused the Registrar-General of acting despite a pending legal case on the matter before the Court of Appeal.
The Federal Ministry of Youth had earlier announced that the CAC withdrew NYCN’s certificate of registration and appointed a caretaker committee to oversee its affairs, a move that has sparked controversy among youth groups.
During Thursday’s protest, demonstrators carried placards with inscriptions such as “Registrar-General Must Go,” “Respect Court Orders,” and “Deregistration of NYCN is a Security Concern.” They blocked access roads to the CAC headquarters while chanting solidarity songs.
Speaking to journalists, Ambassador Sukubo described the deregistration as a violation of due process and the judicial process.
“This matter has already been addressed by the Federal High Court and is currently pending before the Court of Appeal in Abuja. We believe it should be resolved through the court process before any further administrative action,” he said.
He added that the protest would continue peacefully for 30 days until the council’s status was restored.
“We will maintain peaceful demonstrations until the Council is reinstated. We are also appealing to relevant authorities to review this matter because of its significance to Nigerian youth,” he added.
NYCN National Secretary, Comrade Gara Nongha, also condemned the action, describing it as troubling and calling for an immediate resolution.
“The NYCN is the recognised umbrella body for Nigerian youth, and we seek an outcome that restores its full operational status,” he said.
Former NYCN Secretary-General, Barrister Abubakar Suleiman, stressed that the case remained sub judice and urged CAC to respect court processes.
“A Federal High Court ruling had previously addressed aspects of this issue. We believe that any further steps should follow the judicial process currently under way,” he noted.
Responding to the demonstration, Acting Registrar-General and Director of Customer Service at CAC, Julius Hanga, explained that the deregistration was temporary, aimed at allowing time to resolve pending issues.
He assured that the Commission was working to resolve the matter and that NYCN would be reinstated on the CAC portal once all legal and administrative concerns had been addressed.
