The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) has applauded Kogi on its ICAN’s Novel Accountability Index (ICAN-AI), revealing that the state moved from 12th to seventh position in its 2019 assessments.
Mrs Comfort Eyitayo, the President of ICAN, disclosed the ranking of the body on Kogi during a visit to Gov. Yahaya Bello on Thursday in Abuja.
Mr Onogwu Muhammed, the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Bello, said this in a statement on Thursday, adding that ICAN also presented an award of Excellence to Bello as Pillar of Transparency and Accountability.
According to Muhammed, the ICAN president said such improvement from the state was worthy of note and signaled a better ranking in the future.
Eyitayo said that ICAN-AI is a tool for assessing the three tiers of government on their level of adherence to best practices in public finance management.
She however appealed that relevant Ministries, Agencies and Departments should continue to provide relevant documents for the forthcoming assessment.
“The launch of Kogi state Open Governance and Accountability System (KOGAS) would impact positively on the state’s ranking of ICAN’s-AI.
“This feat have been acknowledged as an objective tool from stakeholders within and outside the country.
“We commend Bello’s inclusive leadership which she noted cuts across, education, infrastructure, rural development, social welfare, health, transport, agriculture, women affairs and youth empowerment, among other sectors
“These and many more endeavours attests to the governor’s determination to run a government that would extend the dividends of democracy to all segments of Kogi state, ” the statement read in part.
Eyitayo expressed her leadership’s resolve to make ICAN great again through visible impact not only in accounting but in the nation’s economy at large.
She added that it was poised to deepen such impact particularly in the aspect of promoting transparent and accountable leadership across all spheres of government.
However, Eyitayo urged the governor to lend his name to the ill informed decision by the National Council on Establishment that Professional Certificate would no longer be accepted as entry qualification into any cadre in Nigeria’s civil/public service.
“The country should rather encourage professionalism from entry level and strive to create a public service that will compete favourably with its peers across continents.
“And serve as the bedrock for achieving the desired inclusive and sustainable growth in the economy,” she added.
Eyitayo noted that as against the false narrative of the institute being pro- Southern region, ICAN through several initiatives was committed to ensuring that the Northern states provided as many chartered accountants as possible for the region and the country.
She advised that just like other states in the northern region, Kogi should create an ICAN special students centre, while soliciting for the construction of the institute’s secretariat by the state government.
Responding, Bello thanked ICAN for finding him worthy of the award, expressing joy on the rating of the state’s accountability index.
The governor said that the award would spur him to doing more, adding that the achievement of his administration in the state today was not a miracle but a deliberate plan to give the best to the people of the state.
Bello however said that his view was different from that of the National Council on Establishment that Professional Certificates would no longer be accepted as entry qualification into any cadre in Nigeria’s civil/public service.
He explained that world over, engagement of professionals in the day-to-day runnings of the affairs in both private and public sectors cannot be overemphasised.
The governor charged ICAN to remain committed in deepening accountability and transparency in both public and private sectors. (NAN)
