…As LGSC C/man, Dr Val Attah reads Riot Act
By Ephraim Ikpe
A 4-Day workshop with the theme: “Budget Preparation and Adoption of International Public Sector Accounting Standard (IPSAS) at the Local Government Level” has been kicked off by Local Government Service Commission, Akwa Ibom State for selected officers of the 31 Local Government Councils.
Declaring the Workshop open on Monday February 6, 2017 the Chairman of the Commission, Sir Dr Valentine Attah stated that the need to strengthen and build intensive capacity of selected principal officers of the Local Government Councils, equip them with firsthand knowledge on how to prepare realistic Budget that will meet the standard of Estimates under the Sustainable Development Goal concept with emphasis on revenue generation underscored the need for the workshop.
Dr Attah said the workshop was intended to build the capacity of Heads of Local Government Service, Heads of Account/Finance Department and Heads of Budget, Planning, Research and Statistics(BPRS) Department on the preparation of 2017 Budget and adoption of IPSAS in Local Government Budgeting.
He said apart from the lack of capacity of the respective officers meant to prepare IPSAS compliant the local government budget hitherto, that there was need for the local governments at the state level to join both Federal and state governments in adopting the IPSAS through regular capacity building for local government officials in the preparation of Government budgeting so that the 2017 Financial Report of the local government councils as would be presented by the Local Government Auditor-General could be IPSAS and best global practice complaint.
The former Dean of the Collage of Permanent Secretaries, Akwa Ibom State charged participants at the workshop to utilize the opportunity at their disposal to acquaint themselves with the necessary skills needed to assist them in the preparation of realistic and implementable budgets for their Councils taking cognizance of the principles of Sustainable Development(meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising those of the future generations).
He called on the Principal officers of the local government councils to be well behaved and guided by the Law as persons may be called upon even after leaving office to account for their official conducts while in office. He said for the period he would remain the Chairman of the Local Government Service Commission things would be done according to Law and rules of the Service and any officer of the Council who goes off course would be disciplined by the Commission.
Aside the five Commissioners of the Commission who attended the opening ceremonies and lecture session, the Permanent Secretary Mr E. I. Mfon gave the welcome address while goodwill messages were presented by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs(Hon. Udo Ekpenyong), represented by his Permanent Secretary, Mr Eshiet S. Ikpe; Auditor-General of Local Government, Mr Francis U. Okon; Ag. Chairman AKS BIRS and Permanent Secretary Budget Office, Pastor Nicholas Ekarika; and Mr Andrew Essien, Accountant General of Akwa Ibom State.
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The topics handled on the first day of the Workshop by Mr Victor Okon Edet(Head of Department, PRS/Due Process, Ministry of Finance, AKS) include Overview of Planning and Budgeting Process; Mainstreaming the New Development Agenda: Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) in Local Governments Budget and Development Plan.
The second to fourth days’ activities shall be more of practical with the following topics: Practical on Preparing Local Government Capital Estimates based on 2017 Capital Estimates Call Circular(Annexure by Annexure); Practical on Preparing Local Government Resource Profile by Nsudoh Nsudoh; Audit Approach to IPSAS Based Accounting System at Local Government Level by Aniedi T. Udoh; Adopting International Public Sector Accounting Standard(IPSAS) at the Local Government Level and in Local Government Budgeting; and Practical on Preparing Local Government Recurrent Estimates based on 2017 Recurrent Estimates Call Circular (Annexure by Annexure) by Otu E. Asuquo.
Presentation of Communiqué by participants as well as Certificates to participants by the Commission Chairman, Sir Dr Val Attah shall mark the high point of the workshop.
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