Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has urged members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) to support the anti-corruption and re-orientation efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari.
He spoke yesterday at the opening ceremony of the 45th Annual Conference of the ICAN, held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
Ambode said the pivotal role played by accountants in the day-to-day running of government means that they must be above board in discharging their duties.
He said: “I once heard someone say that only accountants can save the world – through peace, goodwill and reconciliations. That tells me that the people who can save Nigeria are in this hall today. We must kick-start that process now by developing mechanisms that will make it compelling for members of the Institute to exhibit a high level of integrity wherever we find ourselves.”
According to him, as custodians and managers of financial resources, accountants must be above board and resist the temptation to compromise professional ethics and personal integrity.
The governor enjoined accountants to begin the process of raising the bar of integrity through a pragmatic rebuilding of the nation’s value system, to redefine the vision of the profession.
He recalled that since the establishment of ICAN in 1965, the Institute had lived up to the expectations and dreams of the founding fathers, which berthed world-class chartered accountants offering quality services at the top echelon of both the public and private sectors. “