By Ahmad Muhammad Danyaro
Great men are ordinary men with extra ordinary amount of determination –John F.Kennedy
Naturally, some people excel in various aspects of life. They are shining light and shape their environment as well as their world.They are leaders in their own right and are recognized as such.
Generally speaking, men of unique achievement are celebrated anywhere, and when their values are appreciated ,the anywhere .they are not only spurred to do more,but also are encouraged to inspire the younger generation. This is about a familiar name in all official circles,not only in Nigeria, but also in the entire continent of Africa.
It is about a very principled and highly respected administrator and astute technocrat; a giant among his peers not only in terms of sterling qualities of leadership. It is about a man endowed with pragmatism, high sense of services, dynamism and unfeigned love for the common man. How else can one describe the newly reappointed Accountant General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alhaji Ahmed Idris.
The Accountant General of the Federation is the administrative head of the treasury of the Federal Republic of Nigeria The office holder is often appointed by the President of the Nigeria serve a four years term in accordance with the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria.
The office was established in 1988 under the Civil Services reorganization Decree No. 43 of the constitution of Nigeria.
The office holder is charged with the responsibility to manage receipts and payments of the Republic of Nigeria and to ensure that a proper system of account exists in every department of the nation’s treasury and to exercise general supervision over the receipts of public revenue and over the expenditure of the federal Government.
Following a thorough fit and proper tests in both character and competence, President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Ahmed Idris as the new Accountant General of the Federation on June 2015.
Ahmed Idris’s first tenure in office was eventful and witnessed uncountable courageous reforms that yielded positive results, notably, the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and the personnel Information Communications Technology (ICT) project initiated by the Federal Government of Nigeria to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of payroll administration for its Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The centralization of multiple bank account through the implementation of the TSA by the AGF currently saves the Nigerian current over N45bn monthly on interest.
The AGF confirmed that since the implementation of the TSA began over N30trn worth of transactions have been recorded.
It is therefore not surprising when President Muhammadu Buhari reappointed f Mr. Ahmed Idris, as the Accountant General of the Federation.
The appointment of Idris as the AGF is coming three weeks after the inauguration of President Buhari as the President for second term.
President Buhari first appointed Idris, who had served as the Director of Finance and Accounts at the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) headquarters, Abuja, in June 2015.
Mr Idris who had also served as Director of Finance and Accounts at the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) headquarters, Abuja is a chartered accountant with over two decades working experience.
A Fellow of Association of National Accountants of Nigeria and Fellow, Association of Financial Analysts of Nigeria, he is Member of other professional bodies including Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, Certified Institute of Cost Management of Nigeria and Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.
Born on November 25, 1960, Mr. Idris started his working experience as Audit Officer at Muhtari Dangana and Co, Chartered Accounts Firm, and Kano in 1985. He was also Head, Loan Syndication Unit of Continental Merchants Bank between 1989 and 1994 before moving to TY Chemical Limited (White Oil Refinery) in Kaduna as Senior Management Accountant.
He joined the public service as Assistant Director Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) in charge of Financial Analysis in 2000. He was at the National Poverty Eradication Programme(NAPEP), Ministry of Police Affairs and Ministry of Interior as Assistant Director Finance. He was Deputy Director in the Federal Ministry of Interior and Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) before his promotion as Director Accounts in OAGF in 2011.
A 1984 BSc Accounting graduate of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, Idris obtained Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from Bayero University Kano and Master of International Affairs and Diplomacy (MIAD) from ABU Zaria.
He had also attended local and foreign courses including Revenue Generation and Accountability for Local Governments organized by Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN); World Bank Disbursement Seminar, Reston, Virginia USA; IPSAS Course, Manchester Business School, United Kingdom, among several others.
Alhaji Idris is one amazing personality made of rare greatness, and had exhibited high of professionalism at different times, whereby he has harnessed and exploited deposit of greatness in him and has positively affected the life of various institutions, organizations and individuals across various sectors of human spheres.
His character and leadership ability says much on the impact of many Kanawa in Nigeria. He is certainly a personality who should be emulated by youths as they search for mentors and models with integrity and unblemished public service.
Danyaro wrote from Abuja and can be reached at: ahmaddanyaro2017@gmail.com
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Sky Daily
