By Olusegun Obisanya
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) has called the Federal Government to introduce effective and efficient policies and programmes to combat myriads of economic challenges currently bedeviling the country.
The 59th ICAN President, Dr. Innocent Okwuosa, made the passionate appeal recently in Lagos while delivering his acceptance speech after he was investured to lead the professional body in the next presidential year of twelve months.
He said, “Your Excellences, professional colleagues, ladies, and gentlemen, I therefore stand before you today to declare that I, Dr Innocent Iweka Okwuosa, FCA, humbly accept my election as the 59th President of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN). I do this with all sense of responsibility and full appreciation of the demands of the office.
“As we are aware, social, political, and economic indices in the country are worrisome, with the high rate of unemployment, inflation rate, insecurity, rising poverty, debt burden, brain drain, scarcity of foreign currency, oil theft, infrastructural deficit, high cost of governance and so on.
“Above all, clean energy transition has become a burning issue impacting locally. The challenges are myriads, but we believe they can be solved with appropriate policies, programmes, and effective and efficient deployment of human and material resources. As professionals, we will not volunteer silence in the face of these seeming threats to our national existence and cohesion.
ICAN President, who pledged to put the institute on a new trajectory, added that although they are “apolitical,” but “our strategic management and technical skills can help rebuild the socio-economic fortune of the nation.”
He noted that the institute will pursue its public interest mandate with greater vigour and determination, adding ICAN will promote transparency and accountability.
“Our voice as an Institute will be more audible and clear, in its intensity, depth and breadth. We will pursue our public interest mandate with greater vigour and determination. We will advocate for and promote accountability, transparency and good governance within public and private institutions given our belief in the building of strong institutions,” Okwuosa added.
According to him, during his presidential year, he hopes to expand ICAN transparency and accountability campaign to private sector.
“Whereas our previous accountability and transparency has focused on public sector through the ICAN-AI, this year, we will expand on this to private sector. We will partner with the NGX Regulation Ltd to introduce corporate reporting award among listed companies in Nigeria.
“This will further promote the adoption of integrated thinking in corporate reporting whereby corporations imbibe best practices in volunteering sustainability and financial information for investors which will help unlock capital in the Nigerian capital market,” he stated.
