The Cross River Government has spent more than N50 million to train and re-train accountants in its service on modern day accounting procedure, the governor said.
Gov. Liyel Imoke made the statement in Calabar on Monday while declaring open a five-day training workshop, organised by the Office of the Accountant-General of the state for accounting staff in the state service.
Imokesaid his administration would continue to attach high premium on the training and retraining of accounting staff in the state as a matter of priority.
According to him, information technology is key to modern day accounting, which needs to be improved as it is the practice in other parts of the world.
Imoke, who was represented by the Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Takis Etim, said public finance responsibility was consistent with the government’s aim in providing adequate public finance management in the financial sector of the economy.
He said that the workshop was intended to drive knowledge and skill for effective service delivery in the system.
Earlier, the Accountant-General of the state, Mr. Henry Ojoguat, said accountants were financial experts who dealt with financial innovations that would meet the challenges of a globalised world.
Ojoguat told the participants that “being in the financial service sector, we must take account of the public interest as well as the stability of the public financial system.
“This corporate and social responsibility defines the crucial role of the accountant in the corporate governance structure of the state or nation, even the world.’’
He said that the success or failure of any management, especially in the long-term, depended largely on good and responsible corporate governance.
“The entire management from the legislature, the judiciary, the executive. chief executive, permanent secretary, director and down to the middle management, have shared responsibility in the success or failure of the organisation or system,’’ he said.
Ojoguatrestated the importance of accountants to remain as professional always by ensuring that they updated their knowledge at all times.