It is not everyday you get the opportunity to sit in the same room with some of Nigeria’s finest politicians. People like the Action Governor of Lagos State, Governor Babatunde Fashola, Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe State, Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State and the Servant Governor of Niger State, Governor Mu’azu Babaginda Aliyu who was ably represented at the event.
I had the privilege of listening to these Campaign masters at the biggest gathering of Chartered Accountants on the African continent – the ongoing 42nd Annual Accountants Conference of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN). The Theme of the Conference is ‘Building Enduring Institutions for National Development’. However, the Governors were discussing the sub-theme – ‘Governance and Sustainable Development: Addressing the Leadership Challenges’.
Governor Fashola, who was also referred to as the Class Captain of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Governors, gave the Accountants some rich food for thought and I will be sharing some of them with you. He discussed the Budget issue facing the Nation where Nigeria’s annual recurrent expenditure is always higher than her Capital Expenditure. He posited that Nigeria’s qualified Accountants should play a leading role in preparation of the Nation’s budget at all levels and should occupy a front-seat on all engagements and discussions around this subject.
He advocated that budgetary discipline and periodic budgetary reviews among others, should be enshrined in the Nation’s budgetary system and Accountants should be in the forefront of driving this process. In his opinion, ICAN was too strategic an Institution to sit down and leave it all to the politicians.
He ended by saying that Nigeria does not need Action Governors, but Action-Governments and Action Institutions.
Interesting discourse. What he was clearly saying is that Nigeria’s Accountants are not doing enough. Don’t qualified Accountants work in the companies involved in the fuel subsidy scam? Are they non-existent in the Ministry of Finance where the budget is collated and packaged?
Are you an Accountant or do you aspire to be one? You have a big role to play in ensuring transparency in the budgetary process of the Organization where you work, directly or indirectly. Your input is also required in the proper allocation of resources in order to ensure that true value is obtained from the judicious use of funds.
What’s your take? Do you agree with Governor Fashola? Do you think Accountants are doing enough? What other roles do you think Accountants can play towards ensuring sustainable development in Africa? You can speak your mind in the comments section below.
