. . . Ebonyi inaugurates Association’s 8th Chairman of Abakaliki/District Society

By CHARLES IWUOHA

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) has reiterated that Nigeria needs a more diversified and resilient economy to survive its present economic downturn.

The 58th President of ICAN, Mallam Tijani Musa, stated this on the occasion of the Investiture of the 8th Chairman of Abakaliki & District Society of ICAN, Mrs. Chima ijeoma Okikechi, on Saturday at Osborn La-Palm Resort, Abakaliki.

Musa, who explained that corruption is eating deep into the fabrics of the economy, called on accountants “to rise up and play the significant roles in building an invincible and sustainable economy.”

“Corruption doesn’t know religious or ethnicity. The lessons learnt from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic – the need for more diversified and resilient economy – should not be easily forgotten. Chartered Accountants need to rise up and play the significant roles in building an invincible and sustainable economy,” he said.

According to him, the 70 District Societies “also mentor prospective Chartered Accountants and embark on various forms of Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSRs) and capacity building.”

He called on the new Chairman and her team to give their best towards the growth of the profession and collaborate with relevant stakeholders to proffer lasting solutions to the current economic quagmire confronting the country.

“Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered today to inaugurate the new Chairman and executives of Abakaliki & District Society and its imperative that I let you all know that there are 69 other District Societies in the 36 States of the Federation, including the Federal Capital Territory and five International Districts in the UK, USA, Canada, Malaysia and Cameroon,” Musa said.

In her address, the newly inaugurated 8th Chairman, Abakaliki and District Society of ICAN, Mrs. Chima Ijeoma Okikechi, pledged to give her best to the growth and development of ICAN in the state. She enjoined her team to work with one mind, so that the organization's vision and mandate will be achieved during their tenure.

According to her, “The little time I have been in the Executive Committee of Abakaliki and District Society has shown me that this is an enormous task, but I humbly accept to serve in this capacity for the good of our District and ICAN at large.

“There is no mountain of responsibility that cannot be surmounted with a team spirit. I therefore call on my wonderful Team here to be of one mind, so that our tenure will be second to none in terms of positive achievement.

“It is my pleasure to accept that this is a call for service. We will take Abakaliki and District Society to greater heights professionally. I and my enviable Team has set out plans to work very hard to achieve the following, Catch Them Young, Increased membership of the District, Training of our members to be digitally compliant, ICAN Visibility in Ebonyi State, Family Bonding.

“I am proud of my team. They are already getting results here. Many of our senior members and colleagues have been away for a long time. It is our desire to have a full and working House and actions are already geared by visitations and calls and we are happy to say that the result is already so encouraging. We are in the success path. We are reaching out to more and we hope it will yield more positive results.

“Artificial Intelligence is the order of the day, because we live in a digitalized world so much so that if you are not within, you are practically without. Our members need IT trainings and my Team has started arranging with some IT consultants on training and retraining of our members to fit into the digitalized world.

“We also have a formidable Technical Team that will drive this mission to a success. We will also take advantage of the Institute’s training arrangements by encouraging our members to attend MCPE programmes and join free webinars organized by our Great Institute.”

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