President and Chairman of the Council of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria, ANAN, Dr. James Neminebor, has emphasized the urgent need for government support in combating corruption and fostering economic development.
Speaking to the Nigerian Pilot at his office in Abuja, Dr. Neminebor stated that certain challenges confronting the economy stem from issues such as corruption and inadequate educational training.
According to the ANAN President, many individuals lack proper training and education, leading to the temptation to embezzle funds, as he emphasized the crucial need for sufficient training facilities and resources to empower individuals, enabling them to make positive contributions to the economy.
Neminebor emphasized the necessity for the government to invest significantly in education and infrastructure. Such investments, he argued, would empower the next generation to effectively combat corruption.
“In the economy, you have challenges. There’s corruption everywhere. There is money laundering. And these things are happening because of the way the people are trained,”
Expressing concern over the absence of government assistance for ANAN’s endeavors, notably in sustaining their college, Dr. Neminebor urged authorities at all levels to prioritize investment in students and colleges of education. Such investments, he emphasized, are crucial for cultivating a greater number of professionals capable of detecting illicit financial activities within the nation.
He added that ANAN has taken proactive steps to address corruption through partnerships and public sensitization campaigns adding that ANAN has a standing Memorandum of Understanding, MOU formed with the government to sensitize the public and support legal efforts against corruption.
“Government does not support us, which is bad. Which is really bad. Government should support us to fight corruption,” he said.
Nevertheless, the ANAN President pointed out a notable rate of success among students enrolled in the college, emphasizing that young accountants should seize the opportunity to enroll.
‘‘our number is astronomically rising. Right now we have about 58,000 professional and accountants. 58,000 in Nigeria alone not adding other African countries that train at our college.
‘‘There is a Nigerian College of Accountancy that sits on 382 acres of land in Jos, Plateau state, we call it the accountancy village. That is where the university sits. As you step in there, you do nothing other but reading Professional accounting.
‘JOS actually is the most peaceful state in the country, at this time there are few challenges, and because of the challenges, many people are finding it a little difficult to assess the plateau. So the council agreed, let’s decentralize. So we have decentralized our exams.
‘‘Ending of this May into the second week of June, we will be having exams. And the centralized exams are in the six zones. Southeast in Enugu, South South in Port Harcourt, Southwest in Lagos, Northwest in Kano, Northeast in Gombe, north central in Abuja’’ he said.
