I address you this morning with a heavy heart. I grieve for our country as we once again mourn innocent and defenseless compatriots murdered in cold blood by those whose conscience has been anesthetized. 

I grieve for our brothers and sisters who lost their lives or were injured in a difficult quest for livelihood and condole their families for this sad loss. We may seem powerless against this condemnable orgy of violence but I have no doubt in my mind that the indomitable Nigerian spirit will prevail. 

By the grace of Almighty Allah, we will overcome this evil. Please join me in observing a minute’s silence for the repose of the departed souls.

On behalf of the government and people of Kwara State, I welcome the President, Executive Officers, and members of the Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria (ICAN) to our state of harmony.

I understand your conference was originally planned for another state but that you chose to come to our state due to the peaceful atmosphere that God has endowed us with and our people’s warmth.

Although we will have preferred to host this important meeting under more pleasant circumstances, I am never the less pleased that ICAN has joined the growing number of professional organizations and national agencies taking advantage of the our peaceful atmosphere to hold important events here. I assure you of my administration’s commitment to doing all it can to sustain our reputation for peace and harmony.

Let me also thank the ICAN Ilorin and District Society for the merit award conferred on me last month. 

Coming from such a distinguished body of accountants, the award is dear to me and provides a stimulus for higher performance.

In line with current trends across the globe and considering that sustained economic development is only achievable in an entrepreneurial environment, your decision to organize this conference aimed at enlightening accountants and the public on entrepreneurship is highly commendable.

As an administration focused on youth development, we are using entrepreneurship as a pathway to moving our youths from unemployment to empowerment. In line with this resolve, we have disbursed a cumulative N640m to small and medium scale enterprises across the state. 

Indeed, a significant number of the 8200 youths jobs that we intend to provide this year will go to entrepreneurship, which is recognized as the cornerstone of economic growth. 

You are therefore urged to fashion out strategies for supporting the growth of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises. 

At the very least, you must create packages that will make accounting services affordable for small businesses. 

A platform such as ICAN’s Northern Zonal Accountants Conference is an opportunity to call attention to pressing issues of national importance and to stimulate analytical debate on the way forward. I therefore thank you for offering me this platform to make a few contributions towards building a greater Nigeria.

As Nigeria grapples with serious political and economic challenges, it has become fashionable to lay the blame for our national malaise at the doorstep of politicians without any attempt at differentiation. Leaving aside the unfairness of such blanket classification and while acknowledging that some politicians’ conduct questions their patriotism, I state here without any fear of contradiction that politicians are not entirely to blame. Let me explain my position. 

In all societies, the elite comprise the political class. These elites not only dominate and control the political space, they usually have the responsibility of devising policies that guide governance when elected or appointed into office. Such policies shape incentives that in turn determine our capacity to convert the opportunities available to advantage and how well our country prospers.

The consequence is that the quality of the political elite ultimately determines the value of policies and the nature of incentives that drive individual and collective development. It therefore follows that in order to create the society that we desire, we must stimulate the emergence of a credentialed, experienced, and patriotic elite to chart a new course for national development.

I therefore call on accountants and other professionals to be part of a new political elite who will take charge of governance and midwife new policies and incentives that will galvanize our people and indeed our country in the direction of collective prosperity.

Some may argue that majority of our current crop of politicians are professional. That may be so. But I maintain that if more committed and purposeful professionals enter partisan politics, they will form a critical mass with the capacity to change the orientation, direction and impact of governance in way that better reflects on the lives of the people and takes us closer to our dreams for a better Nigeria. 

When that happens, professional pedigree and entrepreneurial accomplishments rather than parochial political considerations will determine access to political office as it obtains in developed democracies.

Consequently, we must leave the sidelines and join the mainstream of politics so that the nature and character of partisanship will change for the better.

To stop the tendency to take to politics as a last resort, we must birth a new crop of politicians that are successful entrepreneurs, accomplished professionals and credentialed technocrats who will build on their experience, knowledge and skills to fashion out tested policies that will form the framework for the transformation of our country. 

As politics is a game of numbers, the more professionals join the political elite, the better their capacity to shape the kind of politics we play and the nature of the governance we practice.

I therefore call on you as accomplished professionals to stop seeing politics as an abominable arena to be avoided at all cost but rather as a platform for contributing your quota to our country’s development. 

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, let me conclude by restating my case for merit as a yardstick for public office. Indeed, merit is a necessary upshot of entrenching more professionals into public service. 

It is my opinion that merit should drive public service and determine access to high office. When we prioritize merit, good governance will no doubt follow, leading to meaningful improvements in our material well being and ultimately to equity and justice. 

Because equity, justice and indeed good governance, not constitutions, determine which societies achieve their aspirations and potentials.

Once again, I thank the President and members of ICAN for the opportunity to share my thoughts with you at this important conference. 

I assure you of our willingness to fulfill all obligations to your association while engaging more of your members in various state government activities and through consultancy.

As I wish you successful deliberations, I have the honour to declare ninth Northern Zonal Accountants Conference open. Thank you all and God bless.