This came as President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Chief Richard

Umaru Yar’Adua

The airport road is currently known as Bill Clinton Avenue after the immediate past President of the United States of America. It was so named to commemorate his visit to Nigeria during the Obasanjo years.

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Dr. Aliyu Modibbo, said in Abuja at a ceremony to mark the National Day that the President declined the proposal to name streets after him and the Vice President, preferring that any honour on him should come from future administration.

“I wish to state here that in keeping with tradition, we had proposed to name the Abuja Airport Road after President Yar’Adua and another after Vice-President Jonathan Goodluck, but Mr President objected to the idea.

His argument is that it should take a succeeding administration to name things after the Vice President and himself if they are found worthy. Once again, Mr. President has demonstrated leadership through humility in power,” the minister said at the ceremony where 91 other Nigerians were honoured with

Goodluck Jonathan.

On the renamed streets, he explained that some of existing streets had no socio-cultural relevance to Nigeria whereas there were a lot of Nigerian heroes and heroines that needed to be honoured.

“We have observed that some of the existing streets have no relevance or affinity to our existence, history or culture. Neither do they have any bearing to our collective or popular memory. For example, about 70% of the streets in Maitama are named after American, European or Asian Rivers,” he explained.

He also said African-Americans who have played substantial roles in fighting for the rights of black people would also have street named after them.

Notable among those honoured are the late Dele Giwa, founding Editor-in-Chief of Newswatch magazine;  Professor Wole Soyinka; Professor Chike Obi; Tai Solarin; Prof  Chinua Achebe; football maestro, Austin Okocha; the late Jamaican reggae icon,  Bob Marley; and the late Afro beat inventor, Fela Anikulapo Kuti.

The American civil right activists, Malcom X and late Rosa Park, whose refusal to vacate her seat in a bus for a white passenger in the early ‘60s triggered the non-violent agitation for black equality in the US also had streets named after them.

Match words with action, ICAN President tells Yar'Adua

Speaking to journalist in Lagos, the ICAN President said: “More than ever, the President needs to assure Nigerians that their trust in the current leadership is not misplaced; that having studied the terrain for more than one year now, the leadership has gained enough knowledge and has mustered enough political will to reverse the parlous state of our infrastructure, ensure the security of lives and property, douse the widespread embers of discontent, nullify the incidence of strikes that are threatening the integrity of certificates issued by our educational institutions and engender a conducive atmosphere for investment so that business will flourish and the nation can enjoy the vibrancy of a healthy nation and truly prosper evenly.

“It is in this respect that we find unacceptable a situation where nine months into the year, the nation’s final budget is yet to be approved by the National Assembly and signed into an Appropriation Act by the President.

Lack of an appropriation act is a licence to financial indiscipline which the Fiscal Responsibility Act abhors. The nation must develop and adhere to an approved budget to make governance predictable and accountable.

“As Nigeria celebrates her 48th anniversary as a politically independent nation, I congratulate the President and the entire nation and thank God for restoring him to good health. I also reaffirm our continued support for this administration’s agenda.

I urge the President to use the opportunity of the occasion to further emphasise the virtues of the rule of law and zero tolerance for corruption as contained in his seven-point agenda for the country.

“The President no doubt has tried his best. Recently, at the 7th Annual National Seminar on economic crime organised by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abuja, the President restated the resolve of his administration to fight corruption to a standstill for his seven-point agenda to succeed and for Vision 2020 to be realisable.

We solidly identify with the agenda and the resolve. Also, as part of our holistic strategies to raise the quality of services that professional accountants render to their numerous clients, the Council of our Institute, in fulfilment of its membership obligations to the International Federation of Accountants in the first quarter of next year, introduce professional practice monitoring for all its members involved in public practice", Chief Uche said.

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