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By Amos Odhe, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State governor, Senator Douye Diri, has charged accounting professionals on proper financial reporting to enhance governance and financial policies in the country.
Governor Diri gave the charge on Tuesday while declaring open the 2nd session of the Mandatory Continuing Profession Development (MCPD) Programme organized by the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), at the Ecumenical Centre, Yenagoa, in Bayelsa State.
The governor, who was represented at the ceremony by his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, said there was no way government could make the right financial decisions without proper reporting and guidance by well meaning professional accountants.
He noted that the burden was on the shoulders of the accountants, to discharge the responsibility to ensure that government and other institutions have correct and proper reporting in place.
Senator Diri pointed out that countries, states, organizations and even families had made destructive decisions due to wrong reporting, in terms of available resources and how those resources could be utilized.
According to the Bayelsa governor, apart from man, the other most important resource was finance, because even the Holy Bible alluded that money answers all things.
He added that for money not to be the root of all evil, then money had to be properly reported and utilized efficiently, stressing that the responsibility to do that squarely lies with the accountants.
Describing the theme and the various lecture topics of the MCPD Programme as exciting and apt, the governor urged the participants to make the best out of the programme, to enhance their professional skills and development in the accounting field.
He showered encomiums on the accountants in the Bayelsa Civil Service for saving the state government the burden of employing consultancy services to secure the World Bank loan in respect of Covid-19.
His words: “I want to state that the themes of your conferences have always been exciting. Your theme here and others your national president and chairman of council has referred to are quite apt and contemporary.
“Proper accounting and reporting is the glory of the accountant. So once you are not able to discharge this responsibility or duty, it then means that your glory is no longer with you.
“I want to encourage you to use the opportunity of this Mandatory Continuing Professional Development programme to take the opportunities to build your capacity and competencies.
“Without positive and accurate reporting, governance would become a challenge. Countries, societies, and even families have made decisions that are very colossal as a result of wrong reporting in terms of the available resources and how those resources can be applied.
“There is no way government’s decisions will not be dislocated or disabled, if proper financial reporting is not done by you as accountants. Our reporting must not end one plus two in our balance sheets. But it must be analytical, futuristic and dynamic.
“Our financial reporting should be able to bring out all the dynamics and variables that will affect our micro and macro-economic decisions to make our economy viable.
”When we talk about resources, apart from man, the other most important resource is finance, because even the Bible acknowledges the powerfulness of money. It says money answereth all things. In any case, it also gave a proviso that the love of money is the root of all evil.”
In his keynote address, the national president and chairman of council, ANAN, Reverend Canon (Prof.) Benjamin Chuka Osisioma, lauded the Bayelsa State government for the steps taken so far to develop the state.
Professor Osisioma said Bayelsa stands as a significant state in the country because of its viable and manifest contributions to the nation’s economic, political and social development.
The president of ANAN noted that the theme of the programme, ‘Dynamics of Corporate Reporting and Governance,’ was designed to inform accountants of processes of bringing together material information about organizations’ strategies, performance, prospects and governance in a way that reflects the economic, social and environmental contexts within which they operate.
In his goodwill message, a Bayelsan who is the registrar of ANAN University, Jos, Plateau State, Mr Faithful Paterson Kpun, commended the leadership of ANAN for being the first professional accounting body to establish a university.
According to Mr Kpun, the AAN University is primarily for interested scholars to pursue postgraduate degrees in various fields of accounting, including auditing and forensic accounting as well as environmental, oil and gas accounting.
Presenting a welcome address, the chairman of the ANAN, Bayelsa State, Mr. Tenbebelakumo Amgbare, said the MCPD Programme in the state was significant and in line with the mission of the accounting body.
He expressed the belief that at the end of the training, all the participants would return loaded with knowledge and skills needed for improved corporate governance that is essential for the development of society.
