The Acting Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Mr Okolieaboh Sylva, has urged accounting professionals to be custodians of public trust as they carry out their duties in their respective organisations.
He gave the advice when members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) Abuja and District Society visited the Nations’ Treasury House in Abuja to commemorate this year’s International Accounting Day.
He said that it was important for them to ensure probity, accountability and transparency in the use of public resources.
According to him, accountants must be people who can be trusted and they must exhibit all forms of integrity in their deeds.
“If we must play our role, we must be able to do it in a way that is transparent and that the public can see and ask questions.
“That is our role here and that is what we are doing, either with the IPPIS, TSA and all the reforms we are doing here are directed towards enhancing transparency and accountability.
“That is the reason for accountability so that people can ask questions and we give them the information they need because it is a two-way thing,” he said.
District Chairman, ICAN Abuja and District Society, Oduwa Izekor, said the day is to raise awareness on the roles of accounting professionals in the fight against corruption in the country.
“Because of the nature of the job you do, there is a lot of reliance on your job, so that means there should be a lot of confidence in you and there should be a lot of integrity on your part.
“All Accountants all over the world should do their work with a lot of integrity because a lot of reliance is placed on the decisions and work they do.
“If the integrity is lacking, the decision would be wrongly placed and the consequences would be very disastrous,” he said.
Chairperson, Society of Women Accountants of Nigeria (SWAN) Abuja Chapter, Mbang Esu, also called on accountants to be the treasury keepers and ensure they keep records for effective management of resources.
“The purpose of this celebration is to remind us that as accountants we have a duty of care to execute our tasks with all amount of accuracy and integrity.
“So, I am calling on all professional accountants to execute whatever they find themselves doing with integrity as our nation will be better for it and the world would also benefit from it,” she added.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the day started with a health walk from the ICAN House through Berger Junction and ended at the office of the AGF.(NAN)
