From Uche Usim, Abuja
The Acting Auditor-General for the Federation (AGF), Mrs. Florence Nwadike Anyanwu, has tasked the Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs), states and federal auditors on delivering quality and exhaustive audit reports, as constitutionally required of them.
She said such good jobs would not only lead to efficient management of the nation’s resources, but also expose corrupt practices.
Anyanwu gave the charge yesterday in Abuja at the opening of the 46th conference of the body of federal and state auditors-general, with theme “Entrenching Good Governance for Sustainable Development: Role of Supreme Audit Institutions.”
According to her, auditors play a very vital role in the nation’s sustainable development by ensuring government business is conducted transparently and those holding public trust made to account for their actions through proper maintenance of accounting records and periodic preparation of financial statements of their stewardship.
The AGF urged participants to keep pace with global developments and international best practices through manuals, standards, agreement of audit scope/responsibility with audited entity and timely issuance of fact-based audit reports, among others.
She further said that good governance entails openness and transparency in the conduct of government business, with a view to meeting the aspirations of taxpayers at minimum cost.
Anyanwu, however, lamented that funding remained a major challenge of her office, as well as state auditors.
Also speaking at the event, chairman of the Body of State Auditors-General, Christopher Young of Cross River State, described the forum as a strong platform, where members converge to harmonise strategies needed to grow the nation’s economy.
He said: “Sometimes, we meet once and other times twice in a year. We discuss issues that affect our job, the management of our country and share new ideas. Presently, we’re discussing sustainable development. Technically, we’re in a recession, so we are discussing how we can help take Nigeria out of recession.”
AGRICULTURE: Malnutrition: Minister laments poor eating habits
From Magnus Eze, Abuja
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has tasked the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to ensure that food processing companies fortify their products with Vitamin A.
The minister, who made the call when he received a delegation led by the Chief Medical Director of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State, and the Country Manager of Harvest Plus, also based in Ibadan, called on Nigerians to always make conscious efforts at eating well.
Ogbeh stated that Nigerians eat badly, as most foods contain too much carbohydrate, adding: “Eating well is not the same as eating much.”
Stressing the importance of healthy feeding, he said: “If we feed better, illnesses and diseases will reduce.”
Ogbeh pointed out that there was a crisis of malnourishment, with 37 per cent of Nigerian children malnourished, saying that this poses a threat to the future.
Earlier, UCH CMD told the minister of plans to expand the University College Hospital Agricultural Initiative, through the UCH Ventures. He disclosed that the outfit, which was registered in 2009, offers pre-retirements training opportunities in aquaculture and Fadama farming to its staff, aside from improving the revenue of the hospital.
son: SON DG calls for cooperation of Nigerians
From Walter Ukaegbu, Abuja
The Director-General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Mr. Osita Aboloma, has called on Nigerians to reject substandard products, as they potend danger that could cause damage to Nigeria’s economy.
Aboloma, who made the call when the Steel Manufacturers Group paid him a visit in his Lagos office, said his mission in SON was to ensure compliance with standards, safety and quality of products. Also, he expects that all businesses in Nigeria will conform to the tenets of standards.
The DG pointed out that the diversification to non-oil economic activities is a fulcrum for industries to strive, as the nation would depend more on the manufacturing sector for growth, as government policies are to protect local manufacturers from unhealthy competition to ensure sustainable development.
Aboloma advised the group to embrace the Change message by doing the right things, and to comply with standards for a mutually beneficial relationship with SON.
He observed that though the 2015 SON Act gave it adequate powers to enforce standards, there was still need to work together through understanding and cooperation.
Earlier in his address, the leader of the group, Mr.. Sunnil Goel, told the SON boss that they were at the agency’s headquarters to felicitate with him and to intimate him of the challenges confronting them.
Communication: ‘Nigeria loses N78bn annually to cybercriminals’
From Walter Ukaegbu, Abuja
Minister of Communication, Mr. Adebayo Shittu, has said that Nigeria loses about N78 billion annually to the activities of cybercriminals who target financial institutions and government, ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) as well as their affiliates.
Shittu, who made this remark yesterday in an address he delivered at the national computer science conference on cybersecurity and the emerging African economies at the Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State, said there was the need for other frameworks across all strata of public and private sectors to arrest the spreading crime.
He expressed the readiness of the ministry to partner with agencies to catalyse and develop world class human and institutional capacity in cyber security for the country.
According to him, the ministry was living up to expectations of sensitising, raising awareness and impacting skills on cyber protection by creating the Computer Emergency Response Team to handle computer security incidents and examining the implementation framework of the Cybersecurity Act.
The minister said such policies should address the framework of cyber risk management, enforcing security through a ‘defense in-depth’ strategy as well as enforcing vigilance through early detection and signaling system.