AGF says Kwara govt. has been financially transparent

The Accountant-General of the Federation, Dr Oluwatoyin Madein, on Thursday in Ilorin lauded the administration of Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq in Kwara.

Madein gave the commendation at the 44th Retreat of the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) Sub-committee on the implementation of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS).

It was reported that IPSAS was approved by the Federal Government for adoption with effect from July 28, 2010.

The Accountant-General of the Federation said the Kwara Government deserved praise for its transparency in handling public funds and in its compliance with IPSAS.

She specifically praised AbdulRazaq for his commitment to public financial management, which she noted was serving as a model.

Madein said the choice of Kwara for the retreat therefore was based on the state government’s transparent and exemplary performance in the accounting reporting system.

“Our choice of coming to Kwara to have this retreat is based on the efforts and performance of the Kwara government in the preparation of financial statements.

“The government of Kwara has been standing out among other states of the federation in being compliant with IPSAS,” she said.

“As I mentioned earlier in my opening remarks, Kwara has been wonderful. In fact I personally put its reports aside to look at in handling that of the Federal Government, because they’ve really gone far and deep.

“I commend the Executive Governor of the state for doing this, and for supporting the Ministry of Finance and the Accountant-General of the state to be able to achieve this milestone,” the Accountant-General of the Federation added.

Madein, who is equally the Chairman of the Sub-committee for FAAC on IPSAS implementation, said the programme was aimed at reviewing the performance of all three tiers of government.

“This is done with respect to compliance to IPSAS realisation, and I am satisfied with the progress recorded so far.

“IPSAS is a way of boosting the accountability and transparency of the government to the entire world.

“Once the financial statements are IPSAS-compliant, they are very easy to be used by anybody across the globe because it is in tandem with global practice.

“That is the main reason why we are working hard to ensure that this is attained by the three tiers of government.

“And we are happy that we have recorded lots of progress on it,” she said.

AbdulRazaq, in his remarks at the occasion, said the progress made by his administration on IPSAS was a product of several factors.

”These are hard work, resilience and the unwavering support of various public officers and other key stakeholders,” he said.

The Governor, who was represented by his Special Adviser and Counselor, Alhaji Sa’adu Salau, said the retreat was a key moment for the state government.

”It is for us to reflect on our achievements, share experiences, and learn from one another to strengthen the financial management systems of the administration.

“The implementation of IPSAS has provided us with a standardised and transparent framework which has improved the accuracy and reliability of our financial reporting.

“This, in turn, has enhanced our decision-making processes and increased public trust in our governance.

“Our commitment to IPSAS reflects our dedication to transparency, accountability, and efficiency in public financial management.

“The journey has not been without its challenges, but our commitment to prudent management of public resources has made us achieve notable milestones,” he added.

Speaking also, the State Commissioner for Finance, Dr Hauwa Nuru, said it was a big win for the administration to have been rated high in compliance with the IPSAS implementation.

She thanked the Governor for supporting her team from the Ministry and office of the Accountant-General of the state “to achieve this great success”.