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Accountants-general to lead anti-graft war From Martins Oloja and Mathias Okwe (Abuja) ACCOUNTANTS-General in the 36 states have resolved to lead the war against corruption in the country. It was one of the resolutions of the public officials at the end of the their two-day forum organised by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation in collaboration with the World Bank office in Nigeria. The accountants-general pledged to ensure that public sector accountants fight corruption and all financial malpractice while they also exhibit practical example. While declaring the forum opened, President Olusegun Obasanjo had charged the accountants to turn a new leaf and be more transparent in the discharge of their duties. He told the public officers who are also the chief finance officers of their states: " Many of you are yet to submit yourself to the current wave of economic reforms. They are still doing business as usual. They exercise delay in the discharge of their jobs. I still receive complaints of corruption and sharp practices and lack of dedication to duties and honesty among you." At the end of the forum which had as its theme "The role of Accountants in Public Sector Delivery and Accountability,'' the states chief finance officers pledged to be frugal with government finances. They also resolved to be committed to the implementation of the current economic reform agenda of government and to take seriously the challenges posed to all public sector accountants by President Obasanjo. In a statement by Chief Adeosun Oyediran Oni, the Director in charge of Treasury Service in the Office of The Accountant-General of the Federation, the officers demanded from government the institution of structures that will enable them effectively carry out the President's challenge. The demands include : ensuring that the Department of Finance and Accounts is established in all ministries; extra-ministerial offices both at the Federal and State levels in line with the directives of Mr. President; budget monitoring and accuracy of accounts information, to achieve timely rendition of financial statement and the need for government to adopt E- Accounting in all its ramifications; placement of the budget division in ministries at Federal and state levels under the Finance and Accounts Department for better financial management; and adoption of the new standard accounting reporting formats by the Federal, states and local councils and to work towards the eventual transition from cash to accrual basis of accounting in line with international trends.` Also yesterday, the accountants said that it was not true that President Obasanjo, at the opening session of the seminar, alleged that they were corrupt as reported in some newspapers. They told The Guardian at the Congress Hall of Nicon Hilton Hotel: "We have unanimously decried the mischievous contextualisation and outright misinterpretation of the President's written speech at the opening ceremony, from which a section of the press reported the President as having said accountants-general are corrupt." The finance officers, speaking through their four representatives who pleaded anonymity, said it was unfortunate that the President could be misquoted that way. According to them, the President's speech, read by the Finance Minister Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was a charge or challenge and not an allegation of corruption.

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