Wednesday 17 April 2013

Governor Jonah Jang

College produces 5,160 postgraduate accountants


The training arm of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria, the Nigerian College of Accountancy, produced 5,160 postgraduate accountants during the 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 sessions, a statement by the association has said.
The statement quoted the ANAN President, Hajia Maryam Ibrahim, as revealing this at the 5th convocation ceremony of the college at its permanent site at Kwall, near Jos, the Plateau State capital.
Ibrahim, who described the college as a post-graduate professional accountancy college modelled to advance the science of accountancy, explained that the association decided on the training of professionals to ensure the “proper blend of knowledge and skills”.
She stressed the need to train accountants that had analytical minds to address issues as they arose and not only look at mechanical issues.
“There is no doubt that with the growth of knowledge and the principle-based accounting standards, the work of an accountant shall cease to be the routine debt and credit,’’ Ibrahim said.
She added that to ensure that the graduates of the college met “high expectations”, only people with a minimum of HND or B.Sc. were admitted – as they were the kind of individuals that could withstand the rigours of the training.
She told guests at the ceremony that with a modest beginning at a temporary site, within the last five years, the college could boast of facilities that could give adequate training to at least 3,000 candidates at a time.
Ibrahim appealed to governments, corporate organisations, especially the World Bank, international donor agencies and all lovers of education to support the development of the college.
According to her, the urgent needs of the institution are: a 200 work station ICT Centre, E-library and an administrative block.
The college, she said, had in place six hostel blocks of 26 rooms, examination/administration office; restaurant, generator house, a shopping complex, network of roads, walkways, and water supply; facelift of college gate; furnishing of two multi-purpose halls and attached offices.
In terms of security, she said, the association had built a police station within the vicinity of the college and donated same to the Nigeria Police Force.
Stressing that the development of the permanent site should not be perceived as an ANAN project, but a Nigerian project, she explained that the efforts being made by ANAN was assisting the government in reducing poverty and creating jobs for not less than 10,000 Nigerians.
Ibrahim, who disclosed that ANAN now belonged to the International Federation of Accountants, International Association of Accounting Education and Research, and Xtensible Business Reporting Language Incorporated, urged graduands to push for accountability, transparency and fight corruption in all its ramifications.
While also noting that the association belonged to Pan African Federation of Accountants, Association of Accounting Bodies in West Africa and the Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria, she thanked the founders of the association for the vision. She also thanked the Plateau State Government for its support over time.
“We appreciate the Plateau State Governor, Dr. Jonah Jang, for awarding the contract for the construction of the road that passes by the college permanent site – the Rukuba-Mango-Farin Lamba Road,’’ she said.
The Plateau Governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Finance, said the state government appreciated the good works of the president of the association going by her leadership qualities and urged her and her team to keep up the good works.
Jang said, “ANAN is moving toward becoming an international accounting college.’’
He added that locaing the college in the state was an honour for the government and the people of Plateau State.

2nd African Congress of Accountants


Thursday 11 April 2013

When you want to explain 'mutually exclusive' events to a kid, just tell him how rain and electricity supply don't happen simultaneously in Nigeria....

Wednesday 10 April 2013

Accountants Resolve to Make Inputs into Future Budgets

Accounting professionals in the country have resolved that they would not shirk their responsibilities, particularly in the area of making necessary inputs into the budgets of the Federal and State Governments.

They resolved thus at the end of a recent symposium on 2013 Federal Budget in Lagos, saying that they were more than ever determined to heed the wise counsel of the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, on this issue.

“The participants noted the call by the Governor of Lagos State that chartered accountants should be more alive to their responsibilities by making professional inputs into the budget process as well as monitoring the implementation of approved fiscal documents.

“They therefore resolved that they will not shy away from constructively expressing their opinions on government policies. In line with their public interest mandate, they will continue to engage governments at all levels in the long term interest of Nigerians,” the communiqué issued at the end of the meeting stated.

The institute was said to have organised the symposium in pursuit of its social responsibility duties and sought to critically analyse and appraise the implications of the 2013 federal budget and expectations from stakeholders in the economy.

According to the institute, about 760 chartered accountants participated in the one-day programme, which was graced captains of industries and leaders of thought.

While Fashola, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Finance, Mrs. Josephine Oluseyi Williams, declared the programme open, the institute’s President, Mr. Doyin Owolabi, delivered the keynote address on ‘2013 FGN Budget: Implications for Macro-economic Objectives’.

Prof. Anthony Akinlo of the Department of Economics, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, presented a paper on ‘Evaluation of 2012 FGN Budget’ while Prof. Mike Kwanashie of the Department of Economics, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria x-rayed the ‘2013 Capital Budget and National Development’.

Established in 1965, ICAN prides itself as having produced world-class professionals, made remarkable contributions to the nation’s development through strict maintenance of high standards and regulation of the accountancy profession.

It also renders services to various parts of the country through its 47 districts across the states of the federation, United Kingdom and America in line with provisions of the International Federation of Accountants (IFACs) Statement of Membership Obligations (SMO).