By Samuel Oyadongha & Emem Idio

YENAGOA-BAYELSA State Governor, Senator Douye Diri has charged members of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria, ANAN, to go beyond the elementary mode of accounting and be more analytical futuristic, and dynamic in accounting reporting.

Diri noted that dwelling more on analytical and futuristic reporting will bring all the dynamics and variables that will affect the micro and macro economic decisions.

He stated this Tuesday while declaring open the 2nd Session of the 2022 Mandatory Continuing Professional Development (MCPD) Programme of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria, ANAN, held at the Bayelsa State Ecumenical Centre, Yenagoa.

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Diri, who spoke at the ceremony through his Deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, said there was no way government could make the right financial decisions without proper reporting and guidance by well meaning professional accountants.

He described the theme of the session “Dynamics of Corporate Reporting and Governance,” as apt and contemporary, noting that proper recording and reporting is the glory of the accountants.

The governor urged all the participants to make the best out of the programme, to enhance their professional skills and development in the accounting field.

He poured encomiums on the accountants in the Bayelsa Civil Service for saving the state government the burden of employing consultancy services to secure the World Bank loan in respect of Covid-19.

His words: “I want to state that the themes of your conferences have always been exciting. Your theme here and others your National President and Chairman of Council has referred to, are quite apt and contemporary.

“Proper accounting and reporting is the glory of the accountant. So once you are not able to discharge this responsibility or duty, it then means that your glory is no longer with you.

“Without accurate reporting, governance will become a challenge, nations, countries, societies, even families have made decisions that are very collateral as a result of wrong reporting in terms of the available resources and how those resources are applied.

“It is on our shoulders (accountants) the burden is on our shoulders to discharge this responsibility of correct and proper reporting. There is no way government decisions cannot be dislocated or disable if the proper reporting is not done by you who are the accountants.

“So our reporting must go beyond the balance sheets, we must be analytical, futuristic and dynamic in the reporting so as to bring all the dynamics and variables that will affect our macro and micro economic decisions to make our economy viable.

”When we talk about resources, apart from man, the other most important resource is finance, because even the Bible acknowledges the powerfulness of money. It says money answereth all things. In any case, it also gave a proviso that the love of money is the root of all evil.”

The governor who described the crop of accountants in Bayelsa State as most competent and one of the best, commended for their professional services in helping the state to access a World Bank loan as a result of the covid-19 .

“I can tell you that we have not engaged any financial experts to help us tidy our documents or even designs our systems and processes. Our TSA, other financial reforms that the state has undertaken have all been done with the capacity of our accountants in the state,” he said.

The President and Chairman of Council of ANAN, Rev Canon Professor Benjamin Osisoma, in his speech, commended Governor Diri for using power to improve the lives of the people of Bayelsa State, noting that the massive infrastructural transformation in the state is evident and a proof of the Diri’s performance in office.

As a professional body, he disclosed that ANAN has already launched a digital hub during its first outing of the year in Abuja, pointing out that the body is trying to ensure that all its activities are harmonised and handled under a digital framework.

He said: “We want to have a holistic approach, bringing together all the different strands to make a worthy accountant. This MPCD must add value to our lives and practice. The number one challenge for the accountants is to report, if our report is deficient, the decisions will be deficient and there is no way an executive will rise out of the quagmire of inefficiency.

“So much depends on us, our power lies in our reporting, when we report we highlights the situation on the ground, when we report we draw attention to issues that are germane to good performance.

“These times we are talking about sustainability reporting showing that the future is guaranteed by what we are doing today. We are what we are today because people pay the price in the past, we must also learned to pay the price we need to pay.”

In his goodwill message, a Bayelsan who is the Registrar of ANAN University, Jos, Plateau State, Mr Faithful Paterson Kpun, commended the leadership of ANAN for being the first professional accounting body to establish a university.

According to Mr Kpun, the AAN University is primarily for interested scholars to pursue postgraduate degrees in various fields of accounting, including auditing and forensic Accounting as well as Environmental, Oil and Gas Accounting.

Presenting a welcome address, the Chairman of the ANAN, Bayelsa State, Mr. Tenbebelakumo Amgbare, said the MCPD Programme in the state was significant and in line with the mission of the accounting body.

He expressed the belief that at the end of the training, all the participants would return loaded with knowledge and skills needed for improved corporate governance that is essential for the development of society.

Amgbare also expressed appreciation to the state government for its support and for allocating a land to the association in Sampou, Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of the state.