By Chukwuma Umeorah
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) on Monday, restated that its Accountability Index will help entrench transparency and accountability in public finance management in all sectors of the economy.
This was even as the Institute said that it was determined to create more awareness about the Index and its importance. Launched in 2017, the ICAN Accountability Index is a mechanism put in place by the professional body for assessing public finance management and public governance practices in Nigeria.
ICAN’s 59th President, Innocent lweka Okwuosa, stated this during the Institute’s commemoration of Nigeria’s esteemed accounting figure, Pa Akintola Williams in Lagos. The event featured a Walk in respect of the iconic figure where over 400 people including many past ICAN Presidents, some of whom are octogenarians participated, demonstrating the enduring impact of Pa Williams’s life on the accounting community.
Okwuosa while stressing the importance of accountability in Nigeria’s economic landscape, noted that corruption remained an albatross to national prosperity, but that the life of Pa Williams was one of the illustrious Nigerians whose character was untainted with any form of financial misappropriation and that the most suitable way to immortalise his memory was to continue to advocate for a society where “accountability and transparency are the norm rather than the exception.”
He highlighted the life of the accounting legend emphasising the importance of individuals working collectively, with sincerity of purpose for the greater good of society.
“The life of Pa Williams echoes the importance of thinking beyond ourselves and to see the bigger picture of service to humanity. No society grows without its citizens realizing that nation-building is a collective responsibility. This simply encapsulates what Pa Akintola Williams practically demonstrated in his 104 years of existence.”
Okwuosa commended Pa Williams visionary insight that led to the establishment of the institute which currently bodies over 60, 000 chartered accountants and is highly recognized in Nigeria and globally. He stressed that the institute was judiciously following in the path of its founder through conscious efforts to demonstrate accountability. “ICAN is championing different initiatives to make its members, and the society at large, not only job seekers but job creators. We have collaborated with institutions like the Bank of Industry and the First Bank of Nigeria Limited in establishing the ICAN-BOI Innovation Plus Hub and an Entrepreneurship Development Centre respectively.
Aside the impression that he had on the accountancy profession, other sectors of the Nigerian economy were not left out of the profound impact of the Doyen. He was a strong force in establishing the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), now Nigeria Exchange Group (NGX) and the Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON). He also held several positions in the public sector and left a track record of excellence and dedication in various roles.