Business

ANAN Wants Autonomy For AGF

Published

13 years ago

October 24, 2012

The Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN) has called for autonomy for the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation (AGF).

Its president, Hajiya Maryam Ibrahim, made the call on Sunday in Abuja when she fielded questions at a forum.

She said that autonomy of the Auditor-General would allow the office to act independently and perform better.

“Until the government of this country allows the auditor-general to bite, it will be difficult for the office to operate at optimum level.

Ibrahim said civil society groups and professional bodies should also rise to their responsibilities and demand accountability over how the nation’s treasury is run.

The ANAN president also congratulated the Auditor-General of Nigeria for successfully introducing performance and environmental audit.

“The performance audit is very germane to accountability and the National Assembly needs to carry out its own oversight functions.

“And I’m so happy that there’s a turnaround from the National Assembly because what they started doing for the past six weeks now had never happened in this country.

“So if only they can sustain it then that will be helping the Auditor-General of the Federation of the states and the local governments.

“Then that is an awakening call to the states auditors-general, the local governments auditors-general to equally perform their own aspect of the duty and do their reporting as effective as possible; pursue all the monies released by the governors by the chairmen of local governments.

“When they do that it eases the work of the auditor-general because as much as he does his work and compares his own report with the report he receives from the field, compared with what the National Assembly members have given, it gives him that power.

“They both have to work hand-in-hand to be able to checkmate the executive; that is the essence.

“Civil society groups must rise to their civic responsibilities to ask questions, we must all begin to ask questions.

“The professional bodies, especially the accountants, should start to ask questions and that is why I said our working together will be of great benefit to this country because that will be the beginning of an era where the poor man will find people to talk on his behalf.’’

Ibrahim said that there was the need for the inauguration of the Financial Reporting Council to realise the goals of International Financial Standards Reporting (IFRS).

She said that for it to take off, a board would be needed to formulate the policies, or else there would be problems.

Ibrahim said the reporting standard was very important because that was the only way all the desired professional goals would be achieved.

“It is the government that holistically adopted the International Financial Standards Reporting which is a good thing even though it came, too short for the country’s adoption, because we were not prepared.

“The professionals were not prepared, because even for the developed countries they did not holistically adopt it, but then we have adopted it.

“And the professional bodies feel that we must immediately start to train our professionals and for us in ANAN we quickly had to review our syllabus to incorporate the International Financial Standards (IFRS) curriculum.

“And we are all doing that so that the products we now turn out will have the real knowledge of what it is all about, not just the knowledge, practically they will come out well grounded.

“If the government has accepted it and we have passed an Act; there is a Financial Reporting Council Act of 2011, for it to take off you needed a board to formulate the policies and if you don’t have a board to formulate the policies, it’s a problem.

“Our major companies at least by 2012, we started reporting on IFRS.

“ANAN had to convert its own 2011 account into IFR standard so that our members could use that as an example.

“It’s something we are doing vigorously to generate information, ideas from our members so that we are not caught unawares.’’

Ibrahim, former Auditor-General of Kogi also advised all professional accountants to stay clear of any form of corruption but be accountable to themselves, to their organisations and to the nation.

Business

Customs Seek Support To Curb Smuggling In Ogun

Published

3 days ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

The Nigeria Customs Service(NCS), Ogun 1 Area Command, has solicited support in fighting smuggling and other economic crimes at the Nations border.

The Area Comptroller, Olukayode Afeni made the appeal in an interview with Newsmen in Idiroko, Ogun.

The comptroller stressed the need for the public to provide timely and reliable information to the Service, saying noting that fighting smuggling is a collective effort

“I urge the general public to join hands with NCS by providing timely and credible information that would help toward suppressing smuggling and other economic crimes.”

“Together, we can build a prosperous nation where compliance is the norm, and criminality has no place,” he said.

Afeni reiterated the command’s commitment to combat smuggling, and facilitating legitimate trade, as well as generate revenue for national development.

Chinedu Wosu

Business

IFAD: Nigeria Leads Global Push For Youth, Women Investment In Agriculture

Published

3 days ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

The 49th Session of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Governing Council has concluded in Rome, with Nigeria taking a prominent leadership role in advancing global agricultural development priorities, particularly strategic investment in youth and women.

The biennial meeting, themed “From Farm to Market: Investing in Young Entrepreneurs,” underscored the growing recognition of young people as critical drivers of job creation, innovation, and inclusive economic growth across global food systems.

The session opened with the election of Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, as Chairperson of the IFAD Governing Council.

Having previously served as Vice Chair, his emergence as Chairperson reflects the strong confidence reposed in Nigeria by Member States, recognising the country’s constructive engagement and leadership in promoting global food security.

In his acceptance remarks, Senator Kyari expressed deep appreciation to Member States for the trust placed in him, pledging to serve with humility, diligence, and a strong commitment to improving the livelihoods of rural women and men across the world.

Addressing delegates during the session, the Chairperson emphasised that prioritising youth and women in agriculture is key to unlocking economic opportunities, accelerating innovation, and driving inclusive growth.

He noted that such investments would ultimately strengthen global food systems while helping to reduce hunger and poverty.

Senator Kyari also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for placing food security at the centre of Nigeria’s national priorities.

He noted that Nigeria’s leadership role at IFAD aligns with the President’s directive to boost agricultural productivity, expand economic opportunities for youth and women, and build resilient food systems capable of withstanding climate and market shocks.

The Minister further praised the IFAD Nigeria Country Office, led by Country Director Ms Dede Ekoue, for translating global development commitments into measurable outcomes for rural communities.

He highlighted the office’s role in strengthening agricultural value chains, empowering youth and women, and improving resilience among smallholder farmers nationwide.

Business

Expert Tasks FG On Food Imports To Protect Farmers

Published

3 days ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

The Federal Government has been urged to balance consumer protection with farmers’ sustainability by ensuring timely food imports, input subsidies expansion and price stabilisation mechanisms to secure investments across the agricultural value chain.

An agriculture expert, Dr Fatai Afolabi, gave the advice at a forum organised by the Plantation Owners’ Forum of Nigeria (POFON), in collaboration with the Oil Palm and Other Oil Seeds Value Chain, themed ‘Current Government Food Strategy, the Concomitant Effects and Implications for Food Security in Nigeria’, and held in Lagos, Wednesday.

Afolabi cautioned that the recent food import policies, while easing consumer prices, could undermine local farmers and long-term food security if not carefully managed.

He noted that Nigeria’s food system was navigating an exceptionally difficult period, marked by inflationary pressures, climate variability, insecurity in major food-producing regions, and rising energy and logistics costs.

He said the Federal Government’s decision to temporarily relax restrictions on selected food imports was understandable, noting that the market had responded swiftly with a reduction in prices of major staples.

However, the convener observed that while the policy had brought much-needed relief to consumers, it posed significant challenges for local farmers and agriculture value chain investors.

“While output prices have fallen, the cost of producing food in Nigeria remains stubbornly high.

“Farmers continue to contend with expensive fertilisers, rising transport costs, costly improved seeds and agrochemicals, limited access to affordable credit, poor electricity supply, weak road infrastructure, and inadequate storage and processing facilities, which result in significant post-harvest losses.

“This situation, where farmers sell produce at declining prices while production costs remain elevated, has created widespread distress across agricultural ecosystems,” he said.

Afolabi said the effects were being felt across all segments of agriculture, with rice farmers among the hardest hit.

He said reports from producing states indicated that about 3,500 rice farmers were considering exiting rice cultivation after incurring estimated losses of over N93 billion.

He added that cassava farmers were selling produce at prices that barely covered harvesting costs, leaving them unable to recover their investments.

According to him, vegetable and edible oil producers are also under pressure as imported vegetable oil brands reduce demand for locally processed alternatives.

He added that cocoa farmers continue to battle price volatility in international markets amid rising domestic labour and maintenance costs.

Afolabi noted that tree crops such as oil palm and cocoa, which require long gestation periods, were particularly vulnerable to sudden market disruptions that undermine investor confidence and discourage new investment.

He said the effects extended downstream to agro-processing and value addition, with soybean farmers supplying vegetable oil processors experiencing reduced demand and lower prices.

He said the development threatened not only farm incomes but also rural employment and agro-industrial growth, raising concerns about national food security.

According to him, sustained losses could force farmers out of production, increasing Nigeria’s dependence on food imports and exposing the country to global supply shocks, foreign exchange pressures and long-term vulnerabilities.

Afolabi cited India and the Netherlands as countries offering useful lessons in balancing consumer protection with farmer sustainability.

He said India deploys food imports strategically during shortages, while complementing them with strong domestic support systems.

He added that the Netherlands, despite being one of the world’s leading agricultural exporters, supports farmers through input subsidies, tax incentives, affordable energy, strong cooperatives, and close integration with research and extension services.

He said agricultural students in both countries also benefit from subsidised tuition, transportation and meals, as well as grants and start-up support for farm enterprises.

“This approach ensures generational continuity and innovation in the agricultural sector,” he said.

Afolabi said Nigeria’s current food import policy could play a stabilising role if complemented by deliberate measures to protect local producers.

He recommended carefully timed imports to avoid peak harvest periods, strengthened price stabilisation mechanisms, aggressive subsidies for critical farm inputs, and support for agro-processors to remain competitive.

He also called for clear communication of policy intentions to reassure farmers that import measures were strategic and temporary.

“Food imports should function as a strategic shock absorber rather than a permanent market feature.

“Government should develop and publish a national crop production and harvest calendar for major staples and align import decisions with documented supply gaps.

“Affordable food and profitable farming are not mutually exclusive goals. With thoughtful coordination and sustained support for farmers, Nigeria can achieve both,” he said.