Auditors in the Lagos State public service have been urged to raise their level of professionalism, competence, as well as guide the state government on financial prudence, accountability and value for money in view of the current challenges.
Tayo Akinmade Ayinde, the chief of staff to the state governor, gave the charge during a 2-day annual retreat for auditors in Lagos State civil service, tagged, “agility and resilience: audit perspective” organised by the office of the state auditor-general.
Ayinde in commending the efforts of the auditors urged them to leverage the retreat to improve on service delivery to the state and the general public.
“I have no doubt that you will take full advantage provided by this retreat to refresh your knowledge of current development in your profession which can be applied to achieve a better outcome for the state government,” said Ayinde at the event which held in Ikeja, the state capital.
According to him, the retreat was the rededication of the current administration’s commitment to improving the capacity of its workforce through regular exposure to new and emerging knowledge, ideas and innovation.
“I want to assure you of this administration’s commitment to the work you do on daily basis and your contribution to the overall achievement of the T.H.E.M.E.S agenda of Mr Governor,” he said.
He said the auditors must work tirelessly in line with the theme of the retreat, adding:
“You need to move fast; this retreat is a golden opportunity for you all.
Helen Deile, the state’s auditor-general, who also addressed the participants, called for a more pragmatic approach in response to the ‘new normal’. This, she said, was necessitated by the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic, considering the need to be more professional in the auditing process and painstaking in all dealings with stakeholders.
“It is instructive to note that Covid-19 has dealt enough blow on us as a state, shrunk the resources of government and posed a great threat to our finances and revenue and in effect conferred great a responsibility on us to be more prudent in our spending. This we must do with uncommon agility and resilience,” said Deile.
According to her, the retreat serves as a platform for knowledge sharing and to strategise for the new audit year in the state. Deile, therefore, charged the auditors to up their game, as the place of technology cannot be overemphasised on the back of the new normal.
Deile noted that the theme of the 11th annual retreat implies that auditors must be more committed to an effective and efficient system of crisis management in a timely manner in order to surmount and mitigate the effects of emergencies.
“The emergence of Covid-19 pandemic and the END-SARS Protest experienced this year underscored the need for us to ensure that emergency response, disaster recovery and crisis communications should be integrated and aligned with best practices into our plans and projections.
