By Damian Duruiheoma, Enugu
The Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN) has called for a re-structuring of the accounting profession in order to get Nigerian accountants to remain relevant in the profession.
ANAN also said it has commenced training accountants to trace stolen funds in government and private institutions just to save the nation from collapsing under the weight of corruption and embezzlement.
The ANAN President, Prof. Benjamin Osisioma, made this known in Enugu, at a three-day Mandatory Continuing Professional Development (MCPD) programme with theme, “ Re-engineering Accounting Profession in the Post COVID-19 Era”.
Prof. Osisioma described the event as one meant to getting the accountants to remain relevant, retool, rebrand and re-equip to function in the new emerging world.
He said: “If we don’t change our methods and our stands, we become irrelevant. If we’re just counting money, they are manufacturing equipment that will do it better than us. If we’re just balancing books, they now have softwares that will do it better and faster.
“We’re saying that there are things that must command our attention today if we must remain relevant. Call it the future ready accountant. Call it the digital accountant or accountant that will fit into the fourth industrial revolution that is about to unfold in the world. So, we’re preparing our members to fit into the new emerging world.
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“ANAN is training people to trace stolen monies. If we don’t, this nation will be crippled by corruption, fraud and embezzlement in high and low places. We’re taking it very serious and we’re applying ourselves to that task.
“ANAN introduced forensic accounts in Nigeria. ANAN gave substance to the meaning of forensic audits. We’re really trained on forensic tool kits so that the accountants will go through the affairs of government and organisations and fish out financial irregularities.
“We are raising this issue of forensic investigation because that is one of the major banes of this nation.
“People don’t realize that money has footprints. When you steal money, it leaves footprints. Forensic accountant is trained to find out the footprints of stolen money and trace it. It’s called money trail. It has a direction. Find where it is.”
Technical Assistant to Enugu State Governor on Financial Matters, Dr. Paschal Okolie, who represented Governnor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, said the state reposed a lot of confidence in ANAN members working in the state.
“They have not disappointed us as a state because in all the areas your members are working in Enugu, they are proving themselves trustworthy,” he said.
While stating that Enugu remained one of the greatest beneficiaries of ANAN’s continuing professional development programmes, Okolie urged them not to relent in upgrading the training of its members.
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