By: Oluwatobi Aroyehun
The Kwara State Government has organised a capacity-building training programme for auditors as part of efforts to strengthen professional competence, improve audit processes and enhance accountability in the management of public resources.
The training, organised by the Office of the Auditor-General for Kwara State, is designed to equip participants with contemporary knowledge and techniques in audit planning, fieldwork, documentation, evidence gathering and impactful reporting.
Speaking on the significance of the programme, the Auditor-General for Kwara State, Alhaji Alayande Fatai-Olajide, said the workshop was carefully designed to keep auditors in tandem with the expectations and requirements of the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI), International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions (ISSAI) and International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS).
Alhaji Olajide said the objective was not merely to produce audit reports but to ensure that such reports had tangible impact on governance and public service delivery.
He explained that effective audit reports could help reduce waste, block revenue leakages, strengthen internal controls and ensure that public resources were utilised effectively.
According to him, the training would also strengthen participants’ capacity to properly plan audits, conduct effective fieldwork, gather sufficient and appropriate evidence, document findings and produce reports capable of influencing improvements in government operations.
The Auditor-General stressed that continuous professional development was necessary because audit tools, methodologies and techniques continued to evolve.
He said the public was increasingly interested not only in how government spent money but also in the value and impact derived from such expenditure.
“The principles of economy, efficiency, and effectiveness; the three Es, must be reflected in government spending, this is what we mean by value for money,” he said.
He added that auditors had a critical responsibility to ensure that public resources were managed in a manner that ultimately translated into better service delivery across sectors, including healthcare, education and infrastructure.
Also speaking, the Accountant-General, Alhaji AbdulGaniyu Sanni, described the training as an important component of continuous professional development aimed at enhancing the capacity and effectiveness of auditors.
Alhaji Sanni described auditors as gatekeepers of public resources and the last line of checks and balances in the public financial management system.
He stressed the need for close collaboration between accountants and auditors, noting that accountability and transparency could only be sustained through effective checks and balances.
The Chairperson of the Kwara State Civil Service Commission, Hajia Binta Yusuf, said the training would motivate participants to remain diligent, committed and consistent in the discharge of their auditing responsibilities.
She added that it would strengthen their commitment to the auditing profession while encouraging them to continue giving their best in public service.
The Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Olufunke Mercy Shittu, described the initiative as timely, noting that the continuous evolution of knowledge made regular professional training imperative.
Dr Shittu disclosed that the state government planned to institutionalise regular training programmes to ensure that auditors and other public servants remained professionally competent and adequately equipped to perform their duties.
She said similar capacity-building programmes were being organised across the civil service, noting that the Office of the Head of Service was already conducting a three-day training programme for planning officers at Peace Hotel.
She stressed that the training initiatives were part of efforts to ensure that public servants remained up to date and in top form to effectively discharge their responsibilities.
