The Permanent Secretary / Accountant-General, Lagos State Treasury Office (STO), Dr. Abiodun Muritala has called on all Finance and Accounts employees of the State Government to remain ethical in the management of finances.
Dr. Muritala spoke during a quarterly technical session with all Directors and Heads of Finance and Accounts Departments in various Government establishments at the STO Resource Centre, Alausa, Ikeja.
He maintained that the Financial Regulations must guide all accountants to prevent them from running foul of some provisions of the guidelines, encouraging officers to stay committed and diligent in carrying out their responsibilities without trying to please people at all times.
His words: “Don’t shy away from always telling the truth and in following due process, you should never succumb to any pressure that will make you subvert the ethical expectations of this profession. You should know that all processes are auditable and for you to audit or interrogate a process, you must know and understand the process very well”.
The Accountant-General also urged the officers to understand their roles in the T.H.E.M.E.S agenda of the present administration by not reducing themselves to ordinary cashiers but rather an integral part of the journey towards a Greater Lagos.
Making a presentation on “Ethical Responsibilities of Finance and Accounts Officers”, the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Civil Service Commission, Mrs. Boladele Dapo-Thomas, underscored the need for the trainees to invest in capacity development to further hone their accounting skills.
Mrs. Dapo-Thomas said: “Everything we do in the civil service is critical and strategic and, as such, Finance and Accounts Officers must rely on laid down structures and procedure to function effectively”.
“Do the necessary things at the right time, don’t wait until you’re being questioned about some necessary documents. As Accounts and Finance officers, you should be proactive and be able to critique yourself objectively”, she advised.
The Permanent Secretary also reminded participants to promote government efficiency, accountability and transparency, saying that it is ethical to do so as the managers of Government revenues and expenditure.
