Auditors Urged To Adopt Tech-driven Financial Oversight

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has challenged its internal auditors to adopt digital innovation to strengthen accountability, transparency, and strategic fiscal planning within the agency.

The director-general of NYSC, Brig-Gen. Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, gave the piece of advice in Abuja yesterday when he addressed participants at a workshop for NYSC internal audit desk officers.

The workshop has the theme of “Strengthening Accountability and Transparency Through Digital Innovation in Audit Process: A Catalyst for Strategic Cash Planning.”

Nafiu said accountability remains the cornerstone of effective governance, especially in public institutions entrusted with managing scarce public resources.

He said the responsibility of internal auditors had become more crucial in an era marked by limited resources and competing demands, making transparency and accuracy in financial management non-negotiable.

The DG said, “It is important to note that accountability is the cornerstone of effective governance. As public servants entrusted with managing public funds, it is our responsibility to ensure that every penny is accounted for and every transaction is transparent.

“This responsibility becomes even more critical in an era of limited resources and heightened, competing demands. Digital tools, such as automated audit systems, blockchain technology, and advanced data analytics, have transformed how we track, audit and manage public finances,” he said.

These innovations, he said, enable real-time monitoring and verification of transactions, improve accuracy, and significantly reduce the delays associated with traditional paper-based audit methods.

In his welcome address, NYSC director of audit, Dr Levi Agim, said the workshop was designed to explore the integration of digital tools into the internal audit functions.

He said traditional audit methods had become inadequate in meeting the growing demand for transparency, speed, and efficiency, adding that innovations such as automated audit systems, artificial intelligence and cloud-based platforms offer transformative opportunities for the scheme.