El-Rufa’i urges auditors to save institutions from collapse
AbdulGafar Alabelewe, Kaduna
KADUNA State Governor Nasir El-Rufa’i has urged auditors in the public service across the country to save governments’ institutions from collapse.
He said they should ensure that the country’s dwindling resources are judiciously utilised.
The Accountant-General of the Federation, Alhaji Ahmed Idris, said some Information Technology (IT) tools have been acquired to enhance auditors’ operations and monitor government’s spending.
Governor El-Rufa’i spoke yesterday in Kaduna while addressing a five-day retreat for internal auditors in the MDAs across the country.
It was organised by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
Represented by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, the governor said Nigeria is faced with challenges and leaner resources, therefore the meagre resources must be judiciously utilised and jealously protected to ensure efficient and effective service delivery.
El-Rufa’i said: “As Nigeria and the world at large grapple with the challenges of a global health pandemic and an economic slowdown, we are faced with enormous challenges and leaner resources than ever in our history since the creation of our country.
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“There cannot be a better time and a greater need for fiscal transparency and accountability than now. There is need to make our government and institutions sustainable to continue serving our people, providing economic, social and security services. The meagre resources that come in must be judiciously utilised and jealously protected to ensure our mandates’ efficient and effective delivery.”
Idris said an audit data capturing centre has been established at the Office of the Accountant-General to secure an interface with the IPPIS and GIFMIS platforms through which government transactions can be viewed online.
He said a number of IT tools have been provided to enhance the operations of the Audit Monitoring Department of the Office of the Accountant-General, while assorted appropriate hardware and software and their requisite licences have also been acquired.
Idiris said: “Participants will be taken through the functionality of these software during this retreat for appreciation of the advantages of acquiring these tools, in order to enhance competence and efficiency in carrying out internal auditing functions.
“I should emphasise that at a time like this, internal auditors must be computer literate and must be vastly knowledgeable in public financial reforms and processes. From the programme of this retreat, papers focusing on the functions and operations of the treasury departments in the OAGF involved in the Public Financial Reforms Projects will be presented.”
