Amaechi Tasks Accountants On Corruption

Rivers State Governor, Rt Hon. Chibuike Amaechi has decried the endemic level of corruption in the nation. He has also tasked the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) to root out the menace from the country.

Speaking while hosting the President and National Executive Council of  the body, Prof Francis Ojaide in Government House, Port Harcourt, yesterday, the Governor stressed that the institute needs to adopt a proactive stance in ensuring that the economy moves forward.

The Governor said, “you owe us a duty that the economy is productive.  You owe us a duty to ensure that criminals don’t steal from the purse of government”.

The Governor asserted that if accountants exercise their duties responsibly, corruption would be stamped out of the system, since according to him accountants are financial gate keepers, who ensure that state funds are administered judiciously.

He observed that most times, some State Chief Executives have been conceived as corrupt because accountants fail to give them professional advice.

According to him, “we are not professionals so when the professionals recommend on anything we don’t have any alternative: “Because there is no way you will touch government money without an accountant and there is no office without an accountant”.

Rt. Hon. Amaechi further enjoined the body to promote a Private member Bill to support its agitation for death penalty on corruption, “I support you on the death penalty but it should start with accountants first”, he added.

Rt. Hon. Amaechi also said the state is ready to partner with the accountant’s body in driving the States’ Public/Private Partnership (PPP) and the internal revenue generation.

The Governor assured that he would honour the request of the body to be a guest speaker at its 41st Annual Conference at Abuja in December, but needed to be reminded due to huge speaking engagement within that period.

Speaking earlier, President of the body, Prof. Francis Ojaide congratulated the Governor on his victory at the polls  and pledged the support of the body on his development strides Prof. Ojaide stated that the body has about 32 District branches with over 2,000 members and 4,000 student members.

He stressed that the body is poised to raise the professional conduct of members by enforcing discipline amongst practitioners, emphasizing that the body is bent in partnering with government to achieve its goals in improving the economy.

Prof. Ojaide  solicited the assistance of the Governor for a new secretariat in Port Harcourt while urging the Rivers State Government to always train and retrain its accountants for effectiveness.

Hon Godstime Horsfall, member, Rivers State House of Assembly (right) in a handshake with Chief Ipalibo Karibi-Botoye, former chairman, Nigerian Union of Journalists, during the presentation of a congratulatory letter from the Amanyanabo of Kalabari, King T.J.T Princewill to the lawmaker in his office in Port Harcourt, recently.