ICAN President, others hail Kaduna State’s ‘transparent’ financial management

Mrs Comfort Eyitayo, President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), has praised Kaduna State Government for instituting sound and transparent accounting system.

Eyitayo gave the commendation on Wednesday in Kaduna at the unveiling of the state’s new Finance Function document.

According to her, the initiative has made the state to always emerge first in the country in all accountability indices.

She said that the state has maintained excellent and up to date financial records in an orderly and transparent manner.

The president who was represented by Haruna Yahaya, ICAN 2nd Deputy Vice President, advised other states in the country to emulate Kaduna state so as to attract favourable ratings.

Also, the Chief Operating Officer, Association of National Accountants of Nigeria, Dr Musa Muhammad noted that Kaduna state has effective strategies in risk and financial operation management.

Similarly, Dr Titilayo Fowokan of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), said “nothing compels voluntary tax payment like tax payers seeing the dividends of the taxes that they pay”.

This, she said, was visible in the various infrastructural projects across the state.

Fowokan pointed out that the growth in the state’s Internally Generated Revenue, was also a testimony that taxes collected were in safe hands.

She said that the CITN would collaborate with Kaduna state government in the area of capacity building.

Mr Joshua James, Co-Chair, Open Government Partnership, recalled that the state was the first subnational in the country to join the partnership in 2016.

According to him, Gov. Nasir El-Rufai has sowed good legacies through appropriate laws and implementation of policies and programmes with direct impact on the people.

James said that the state has given the people the opportunity to make inputs into the government annual budget.

He recalled that the State House of Assembly recently held a public hearing on the 2022 budget, which he described as the best citizen-driven budget in the country.

On his part, Deputy Speaker of the state Assembly, Dr Isaac Zankai, said the Executive and Legislature were working in harmony to serve the people, and pledged that the working synergy will continue.

Dr Tajudeen Abbas, member representing Zaria Federal Constituency, said El-Rufai and members of the National Assembly from the state have been meeting every two months to ensure effective representation at all levels.