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Accountants working in the Ogun State civil service have been tasked to show more competence and uphold the principles of public financial accounting in line with international best practices.
Permanent Secretary, State Treasury Office/Accountant-General of Ogun State, Mr. Michael Idowu threw this challenge in Abeokuta at a 2-day workshop, tagged ‘Financial Management: Tools for a Viable, Stable and Sustainable Economy’ put together by the State branch of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN).
Idowu pointed out that the knowledge of the principles would enable them to report irregularities in accounts prepared or audited in order to enhance transparency and accountability mechanism, as well as develop techniques for fraud prevention and detection, which would help them work in consonance with the good governance agenda of the State Government.
“There are certain key elements and principles you need to imbibe in the Civil Service before you can be outstanding among your colleagues, which are; sound knowledge of accounting software, managing cash flow, budgeting, and managing a budget and payroll management”, Idowu said.
He expressed optimism that the workshop would ensure that the Accountants in the Civil Service were placed at a vantage position to discharge their statutory duties, using standard financial tools to achieve stable, viable and sustainable economy for the State.
Welcoming guests earlier, Chairman, ANAN in the State, Lion Olayinka Odukoya, revealed that the theme was chosen in line with the prevailing global economic situation occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent emerging trends across the country, to sustain the gains of economic recovery in tandem with various policies of government to attain the desired growth.
“Accounting profession is anchored on the tripod of the core values of integrity, competence and objectivity. These are the basis on which stakeholders, particularly employers, individuals and client put their trust on members of the accounting profession.
“The public trust on the profession is well enhanced by the adoption of integrated reporting system, which concisely communicate about how an organisation’s strategy, governance, performance and prospects, in the context of its external environment, lead to value creation”, Odukoya said.
He maintained that professional Accountants were expected to adhere to the highest standard of professional ethics, adding that ANAN being the second leading accounting body in Africa, was poised to constantly aligning her members with current trends in the accounting profession and benchmarking with Government agencies, ICAN and other reputable organisations.