President Muhammadu Buhari has appealed to accountants and auditors in the country to assist in the fight against corruption.

The President made the request on Tuesday in Abuja at the 48th Annual Accountants’ Conference of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).

Buhari who was represented by the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Sen. Udoma Udo Udoma urged ICAN members to deliberate on how they could contribute to support government efforts to reduce corruption and restore the economy.

“In regards to fighting corruption you have a special contribution to make as accountants. Your members serving as accountants and auditors can bring to bear your special skills in ensuring that books and records are properly kept. Working closely with the statutory agencies responsible for fighting corruption, ICAN will no doubt assist government in its effort at fighting this national malaise,” he said.

Speaking on insecurity in the country, Buhari argued that fighting insecurity and other crimes required the collaboration and cooperation of every citizen. He said that Nigerians have a shared responsibility to provide credible information to security agencies.

“We must preach and promote peace within our communities, hold on to the core values of honesty, probity, hard work and our neighbours’ keeper that defines us as people with esteemed values and as a nation where peace and justice reign. We must come together to condemn all forms of criminal activities and say NO to hate speech and acts that could destabilise the cooperate existence of our nation,” he said.

On the economy, Buhari said that his administration had put in place the right infrastructure to diversify the economy away from oil dependence and the Social Investment Programme was meant to provide support to  unemployed youths, the poor, the excluded and the vulnerable in the society.

Earlier in his address, ICAN President Alhaji Razak Jaiyeola called on government to formulate and implement strategic policies that would achieve sustainable growth. He said the theme of the conference, “Securing our shared future, a collective responsibility”, was apt as it hit at the core of national integration and growth. Jaiyeola however called on delegates to contribute immensely in issues meant to the development of the country.

Also, the President, International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), Mrs Rachel Grimes, said accountants had great skills to positively influence the future. “We can’t secure the future alone. We must seek out and work with others who share our commitment to the public interest and a stronger global economy and society.

“The vision for IFAC is that, the global accountancy profession is essential for strong to build sustainable organisations, financial markets and economies.” she said.

(NAN)