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Frequently asked questions

These are the frequently asked questions clients bring to us, answered plainly. If yours is not here, send it to us and we will answer it directly.

About the firm

We provide company secretarial, nominee, escrow, probate and estate planning, organisational development and human capital services to businesses and individuals in Nigeria and to international clients investing here.

No. Pentagon Nominees Services Limited is a corporate services and advisory firm. We are affiliated with an established Nigerian law firm, and legal representation and legal opinions are provided by that firm under its own engagement terms.

Our office is at 16 Rasheed Alaba Williams Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos. We act for clients across Nigeria and for clients based abroad.

Yes. A significant part of our work involves foreign investors entering the Nigerian market and Nigerian families with assets in more than one country.

Company secretarial

Under CAMA 2020, every company other than a small company must have a secretary. Public companies must appoint a secretary who meets the qualification requirements set out in the Act.

A company files within 42 days of its annual general meeting. A business name files by 30 June each year. An incorporated trustee files between 30 June and 31 December. A newly registered company’s obligation begins 18 months after incorporation.

Yes. We assess what is outstanding, quantify the position and file the outstanding returns to bring the company current.

Yes. We are appointed by board resolution and take on the full statutory function.

Nominee services

An arrangement where we hold a stated interest, usually shares or an office, on the record, while you retain the beneficial interest and the control set out in the underlying agreement.

Yes, subject to the disclosure obligations that apply. CAMA 2020 introduced requirements around persons with significant control, and we make the disclosures the law requires.

Only where the law or a regulator requires it. Confidentiality applies to the commercial world; it does not extend to withholding information from authorities entitled to receive it.

Escrow

Funds, title deeds, share certificates, transfer instruments, source code and other documents or assets of value.

The parties agree this between themselves, and it is recorded in the escrow agreement.

We hold the asset and follow the escrow agreement. We do not release to one party on that party’s instruction alone where the agreement requires more.

Probate and estate planning

It varies with the size of the estate, the completeness of the documentation, and whether anyone objects during the 21-day publication period. Incomplete title or bank records are the most common cause of delay.

Probate is granted where there is a valid will and executors apply. Letters of administration are granted where there is no will, or where the will does not appoint an executor who can act.

Yes. Without a will, the estate is distributed according to the rules that apply, which may differ from your intentions and cannot be varied by what anyone remembers being told.

Organisational development and human capital

A diagnostic phase typically runs over a few weeks. Delivery depends on scope and is agreed before we start.

Yes. We deliver corporate governance training for directors and executives, and leadership, performance and capacity-building programmes as part of our people work.

Engagement, fees and confidentiality

Contact us directly. We hold a scoping conversation, issue engagement terms and complete client due diligence before work begins.

Identification and verification documents for the client and, where relevant, for the beneficial owners. This is a regulatory requirement and applies to every engagement.

Fees depend on the service. Company secretarial work is usually retained on an annual basis. Escrow, probate and structuring work is quoted on the matter. We agree fees in writing before we begin.

Yes. Confidentiality obligations apply from the first conversation and are set out in our engagement terms.

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