The Director General, Nigerian College of Accountancy, Plateau State, Dr. Friday Akpan, has stressed the importance of whistleblowing in the fight against corruption and tasked Nigerians, especially the government, to fully embrace it in the fight against the menace.
Addressing newsmen ahead of the College 11th convocation on Saturday, Dr. Akpan enjoined accountants whom he described as the financial gatekeepers to embrace financial discipline, integrity, and transparency.
He debunked the notion in some quarters that accountants are corrupt, adding that everyone, including the heads of establishments, has a role to play in fighting the monster called corruption, adding that it has become an issue that cannot be ignored.
“The notion that accountants are corrupt is not true; he who pays the piper dictates the tune. So there’s a need for the head to practice financial transparency; this is very important. Let government policies promote transparency and also understand that to fight corruption and enshrine transparency, they have a role to play.
“At the college level, we also encourage and train students on discipline, integrity, and promotion of transparency at all levels. We also release a road map to guide the students on financial integrity. Everyone has a role to play in fighting corruption.
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“Let’s follow due process and do things the way they should be done. The budgetary process should be transparent, and reporting it should be transparent, and these are part of the important tools in fighting corruption,” he said.
On the 11th convocation of the College slated for Saturday, the Director-General said so far the College has graduated not less than 60,000 accountants since its establishment in 1993, adding that 5,600 for courses 29 and 30, who have been worthy both in academics and character, will graduate on Saturday.
Dr. Akpan said the College, the training arm of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), is pivotal to advancing the science of accountancy, adding that the 11th convocation marks the production of another set of skilled and knowledgeable professional accountants-to-be who will continue to push further the frontiers of the new dispensational move in the development of accountancy practice in Nigeria and beyond.
He added that the establishment of the ANAN College, which is first in Nigeria and third globally, has transformed the way professional accountants are midwived very radically and positively.
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