OAGF, ANAN, WORLD Bank And Ifac Unite To Fight Corruption In Public Financial Management

As part of their efforts to ensure the actualization of the  fight against graft in the country, which is fundamental to the present administration’s agenda of change, the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), the World Bank and the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) have  agreed to collaborate to enforce Global Standards in the Financial Reporting of  all Ministries, Departments and Agencies(MDAs) of Government in the Country.  

Speaking at the Pre-workshop interactive session with Council members and representatives of MDA’s held at Treasury House on Tuesday, 2^nd Dec, 2015, the Accountant General of the Federation Alhaji Ahmed Idris, represented by the Director, Consolidated Accounts Department, Alhaji Salawu A. Zubairu emphasized on the need to adopt sound globally accepted reporting formats that will ensure probity, transparency and accountability in the management of public funds in the Country.

The Accountant General of the Federation pledged the readiness of the OAGF to support all efforts by stakeholders and Development Partners that will lead to a more efficient and effective management of Public Finance in the Country, adding that there is no going back on the January 2016 date on the implementation of IPSAS Accrual Basis in Nigeria.

He also noted that good financial Reporting will help Public Financial Managers perform their work without undue pressure, reduce corruption in Government to the barest minimum and assist Government to take sound decisions that will lead to prudence in public spending as well as improve the general wellbeing of the Citizens of the Country.

In his remark, the President and Chairman of the Council of the Association of National Accounting of Nigeria (ANAN), Mr. Anthony Chukwuemeka Nzom harped on the need for Accountants and Auditors to get it right so that this change which the present administration has been campaigning will be realized, noting that if Nigeria is good, all Nigerians will be good for it.

He further admonished the Council members to be careful with their own financial reporting explaining that Accountants occupy a critical position in the success or otherwise of the fight against corruption because there is no way money can enter or leave the system without them appending their signatures and therefore stressed on the need for them embrace good governance now.

In his own contribution, the representative of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) New York United States and leader Accountability Now project, Mr. Vincent Tophoff, promised to help Nigeria in her quest to make financial reports become in tune with international best practice by working with relevant bodies to developing capacity in this regard.

He pledged that IFAC will collaborate with the Office of the Accountant General and her partners to enforce compliance with ethical standards of the board for professional Accountants.

Mr. Tophoff maintained that good financial reporting is key to achieving the principles of good governance in the public sector.

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Ifeanyi Okereke

For: DD Press, OAGF