Hajiya Maryam Ibrahim, president of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN) says Nigeria needs no fewer than 100, 000 professional accountants? for effective coverage.
?Ibrahim, who featured at a forum of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday, said the services of accountants were needed in all sectors of the economy.
?She commended the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) for assisting ANAN to secure recognition and membership of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and two other professional bodies, the Pan-African Federation of Accountants (PAFA) and the
Association of Accountancy Bodies in West Africa (ABWA).
“If we combine what we have now, I will say that for a business to thrive, you need the internal control, you need the marketability whether in the public or private sector, you need the marketability, you need the control of your business.
“I will say that for a population of about 170 million, if we can, as much as possible, generate up to a 100, 000 professional accountants in Nigeria, it is good enough.
“We should congratulate ICAN who sponsored us to move into the IFAC body and the other two bodies PAFA and Association of ABWA
“We have in the past attended professional outings, IFAC, ABWA and what have you; with the two combined and properly recognised, the enormous advantage is there for the country where we can talk with one voice.
“Two of us, by the time we join forces, I want to tell you, it will be great thing for the country.
?Ibrahim told NAN that the partnership between ICAN and ANAN started in 1979 when it was realised that the population of the country could accommodate two accounting professional bodies conveniently.
She said there was the need to encourage Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to keep their records properly and engaging professional accountants.
The ANAN president said the bulk of its members worked in the private sector.
She noted that the association had no fewer than 20, 000 members working in universities, polytechnics and in various cadres of the public and private sectors.
Founded in 1979, ANAN is one of the two regulatory bodies for accountancy in Nigeria.