President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been encouraged to prolong the tenure of the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Madein Oluwatoyin, to allow her to finalize the commendable initiatives she has initiated.
This appeal was made by a coalition of more than 40 civil society organizations, spearheaded by Global Gender Safety and Moral Development, along with the Competent Governance For Accountability And Civic Trust (CGACT), during a press conference held in Abuja over the weekend.
The Chief Executive Officer of CGACT, Godwin Oghenero Erheriene, articulated the group’s request, highlighting the Accountant General’s capability to halt payments for projects that have not yet been awarded.
He emphasized that this action would significantly protect the nation from considerable embarrassment and prevent the accrual of unnecessary interest on unutilized funds.
“Her administrative dexterity has put Nigeria on a high pedestal globally. One of her greatest achievements is the demystification of the Federation Accounts and Allocation Committee (FAAC) specifics, especially as it has to do with revenue allocation to the various tiers of government.
“Madein’s impeccable character and strong personality coupled with a firm knowledge of her profession were brought to bear on her schedule of duty as she consistently kept Nigerians properly informed about government revenue transactions and performance relative to revenue inflows at all levels,” the group said.
The group that expressed dismay that women were not being allowed to serve at the highest level in Nigeria said the position of the AGF, established by Decree 43 of 1988, is reserved for exceptional individuals.
“This office is always reserved for someone with accounting prowess. Dr Madein is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered and Certified Accountants (ACCA), UK; a member of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).
“It’s on the heels of the above we the civil society organisation, want to thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the reinstatement of Dr Madein Oluwatoyin through the office of the Head of Service of the Federation as the substantial Accountant General of the Federation who will be retiring March 2025.
“But because of the current economic situation the country is going through, we are appealing to President Tinubu to extend her retirement to 2026 so she can stabilise the system before she finally retires and to enable the country’s economy to be in a better shape,” CGACT said in a statement issued on Sunday.
