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Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has sought the assistance of members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and similar professional organisations in his administration’s efforts towards entrenching fiscal discipline and transparency in the management of public funds.

Ugwuanyi said that such administrative principles of accountability and transparency have helped his administration to reduce wastages and leakages in the finance of the state, adding that the collaboration will not only “encourage greater public participation in both the making and implementation of government policies” but will also strengthen the people’s trust in government.

The governor, who spoke at the 2018 Eastern Zonal Accountants Conference of the ICAN, held in Enugu, yesterday described the Institute as a professional body that has contributed immensely to the development of the country’s financial sector as well as the effective implementation of fiscal policies.

The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, emphasised the importance of the conference towards the “adoption of measures that would ensure rapid economic growth and expansion for the country, especially in this period of mounting fiscal challenges”

“As an organisation embodying professional Accountants in both the public and private sectors in Nigeria, ICAN’s contributions to the development of the nation’s financial sector and the effective implementation of fiscal policies, cannot be overemphasised”, the governor maintained.

He, therefore, thanked ICAN members for choosing Enugu as the venue for the conference and assured them of the readiness of his administration to partner the Institute towards the actualisation of its objectives “more especially as they affect the peace and progress of Enugu State and indeed, the entire eastern region”.

Earlier in his address, the 54th President of ICAN, Alhaji Razak Jaiyeola, appreciated the governor’s commitment towards the realisation of the Institute’s goals, saying that the organisation is a body of professionals that assists in the management of the nation’s economy.

Jaiyeola emphasised that the meeting will afford the members the ample opportunity to deliberate on the nation’s quest for economic diversification, disclosing that the “Institute has over four thousand members that cut across all sectors of the economy and making their marks in that area of discipline”.

He, therefore, charged the members to remain focused and committed to “regular training” to enable them sustain their relevance in the dynamic society.