Governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has charged the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) to expand the curriculum of accountants to cover the management of resources rather than focus on record keeping of financial activities.

Especially, Ajimobi charged accountants to improve their communicative ability aside from ensuring professionalism in accounting practice.

Ajimobi made these prayers when the ICAN management team led by its National President, Olufemi Deru, were at the governor’s office, Ibadan, for a courtesy visit, on Tuesday.

He said this admonition was necessary to boost the image and reputation of accountants and the accounting practice in Nigeria.

In another charge to ICAN, Ajimobi said the institute should regularly come up with measures that will engender the plans of state governments to boost its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) as well as measures to address the current dwindling economy.

Furthermore, Ajimobi expressed commitment towards the desire of ICAN to have an Ibadan district office. “Those who keep records should be able to manage the records, manage resources, finance and personnel. More importantly, accountants have to improve their communication ability. Some accountants are not good at communicating their professional practices.”

“ICAN should be more involved in how government is run. The Institute should come up with financial advice that will enable the state improve its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to prevent reliance on FG allocation and address the issue of a dwindling economy.”

President, ICAN, Olufemi Deru, in his earlier remarks, noted the need for government at all levels to key into world best practices in the preparation of general purpose financial statements by embracing International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS).

Deru noted that adapting IPSAS to governance guaranteed quality, consistency, and transparency in public sector accounting.

Harping on the need for technology in governance, he also charged state governments to utilise technology in actualising plans to diversify the economy from reliance on Federal Government allocation, increase the tax base, while also providing an enabling environment for government to thrive.

In his charge to the Oyo State government, Deru noted the need for government to sponsor members to training programmes and capacity building programmes organised by ICAN on the essentials of IPSAS.

Specifically, he prayed that the state government approves the institute’s request for a land to site the Ibadan District office of ICAN.

Meanwhile, the Rector of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Professor Olatunde Fawole, on Tuesday, urged key players in the economy to invest more in the country’s education sector.

Fawole spoke at the inauguration of a 350-seater lecture hall donated to the institution by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).

The rector urged professional bodies with affiliation to the education sector to come up with proposals to support tertiary education in the country, particularly with reference to provision of infrastructure.

He said that in most developed countries, the products of the various tertiary Institutions are key players in the funding of such institutions.

Fawole lauded ICAN for making a donation of such magnitude to the polytechnic.

He said that the gesture was the first of its kind in almost five decades of its existence as an institution of higher learning.

“You have made history by making this big donation during my tenure as the head of this institution and I am very proud to be associated with you,” he said.

The ICAN President, Chief Samuel Deru, who is the 51st president of the institute, said that the project was very dear to the hearts of his members.

Deru said that the completion of the edifice was one of the eloquent testimonies to show that the institute was not only making a difference, but living up to its expectation.