A civil society organisation, Women Professional Alliances (NWPA), has thrown its weight behind the reform agenda of the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Mrs Oluwatoyin Madein.
The Spokesperson for the group, Mrs Christine Ezekwe, stated this at a news conference on Sunday in Abuja.
She advised the AGF to remain committed to discharging her duties and making efforts toward sanitising the system.
Ezekwe said that all alleged malicious gang up against the AGF by some elements within would fail.
She enjoined Madein not to be distracted in the discharge of her duty but remain resolute in the face of challenges.
The spokesman said the group decided to speak out , following what they termed alleged “unprovoked attacks against a woman who is just doing her professional noble job.
” We read in some sections of the media that some personnel wrote petition against the Accountant-General of the Federation claiming she was not qualify to be on the seat.
” How on earth will people who see her progress in her carrier as a well-bred professional wake up one day to fabricate such gruesome lie.
” When Madein was appointed the AGF, there was joy and high expectations across all facets of Nigeria regardless of gender, religious or ethnic affiliation,”
She said that the emergence of Madein raised hope for millions of young girls across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT.
” Today, few men woke up, wrote petition and wanted to paint her black for not dancing to their tunes,” she alleged.
Ezekwe urged the AGF to go about her duty passionately.
According to her, it will enable the AGF to actualise the dreams of President Bola Tinubu’s administration who promised to give renewed hope to Nigerians.
” One thing we find real disturbing is the fact that women in positions of authority go through a lot.
” Many just believe that because they are women, they cannot take certain tough decisions or be their boss.
” Some can endure incompetence and non-performance from anyone, but when it comes to women working upright in the discharge of their duties, they get very offended.”
The Coordinator of Pro-Impact Initiative, Dr Osamudiamen Isokpehi, said no amount of gang up against the AGF would stop routine posting of personnel in the Treasury House.
Isokpehi cautioned against blackmailing and derailing her from carrying out much needed reforms and cleansing in the system.
” Those behind these acts appear not to understand the extent to which they have exposed their self-centeredness and shallow mindedness in the said petition.”
He highlighted some of the reforms currently being pursued by the AGF to include; bottom-up cash plan which ensures improvement to capital budget execution.
This, according to him, will ensure that respective agencies draw up their own cash requirements monthly as against the practice of just allocating funds to MDAs irrespective of their needs.
He said another reform being championed by the AGF was blocking revenue leakages by setting up of strategic revenue management team to improve internally generated revenues (IGR).
He said the team in turn set up technical sub-committee who would be trained in data analytics, and who can man data of agencies not currently on GIFMIS directly from the AGF’s office.”
He warned that “a system in which people, particularly those at the top are unwilling to accept reforms or changes cannot work.”
Isokpehi called on the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Wale Edun, to disregard the petition against the AGF.
He urged him to focus his strength on the actualisation of a vibrant economy under President Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.
He also called on the petitioners to immediately withdraw it and tender an apology to the AGF for the overall good of country.
(NAN)
