Prioritise Results Over Spending, Tinubu Tells Accountants

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has challenged Nigerian accountants to move beyond mere book-keeping to focusing on outcome-based governance that positively impact the citizens’ lives.

The president gave the charge yesterday when he opened the 31st Annual National Conference of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN) in Abuja.
The conference was themed “Redefining the Accountant’s Role in Governance Reform and National Development.”

Represented by the accountant- general of the federation, Shamseldeen Babatunde Ogunjumi, the president emphasised that transparent data and reliable financial reporting remain the bedrocks of effective governance.

“A government cannot plan effectively if its financial information is unreliable,” Tinubu stated. “The question is no longer how much was spent. We must increasingly ask what was achieved with what was spent. That is the transition from accounting for expenditure to accounting for results,” Tinubu said.
He urged accounting professionals in federal, state and local governments to participate early in the policy design process rather than acting solely after decisions were finalised.

While acknowledging the role of digital financial management tools such as the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and integrated reporting platforms, he insisted that technology must be anchored on professional ethics and integrity.

In her address, the President and Chairman of the Council of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), Hajia Zuwairat Talatu Kishimi, reinforced the call, urging members to adopt “accountability by design” across public and private sectors.

“For generations, accountants have been trusted to tell organisations and nations what happened to their resources. But is that enough?” Kishimi asked. “A project is not a road. An appropriation is not yet a functioning hospital. Between resources committed and results achieved lies an opportunity gap that accountants must help bridge.”

She added that while Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation will handle routine financial processing, human judgment, scepticism, and ethical courage will remain indispensable.

Speaking as the Keynote Speaker, the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Muhammad Sani Abdullahi, represented by the Director of Payment System Supervision, Dr Rakiya Opeyemi Yusuf, underscored the crucial connection between modern payment systems, financial data integrity, and overall macroeconomic stability.