Niger LGAs Migrate From Cash-based Operations To IPSAS

Financial management operators from 25 local government areas of Niger State have adopted the migration strategies for entities on the International Public Sector Accounting System (IPSAS).

The migration strategy was adopted in view of the realisation that not all entities of government have been able to effectively migrate from cash based accounting to IPSAS in the state.

In line with this development, the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation started a three-day training and capacity building for the operators to address key and contemporary issues on effective migration strategies for entities on IPSAS, cash based accounting and practical approach to preparation of general purpose financial statements.

The accountant-general of the federation, Mr Sylva Okolie represented by the director procurement, Mohammed Usman said IPSAS implementation required continuous training of the financial operators at the third tier of government for competence.

A group, Arewa Initiative for Hygiene and Rights Against Open Defecation, has frowned at the action of the Federal Capital Territory Rural Water and Sanitation Agency (RUWASA) sidelining the consultant who initiated the idea.

The group said the consultant who sold the idea of the need to build public conveniences in major areas of the FCT to tackle the menace of open defecation which contributes to the rising cases of diseases such as cholera was sidelined by the agency.

Its president, Suwaiba Musa, disclosed this during a press conference to review and evaluate how the building of public conveniences had reduced open defecation in the nation’s capital.

She said since the groundbreaking in Area 1 Abuja by both the minister of water resources and the FCT minister of state, the progress of work had drastically reduced.

Musa said many public conveniences allocated are either at half level or not built at all which made the group to dig into what was responsible for the slow pace of work.

According to her, the group realised that the relationship between the consultant in charge of the project and RUWASA is soured due to some administrative bottlenecks.

She said saboteurs who have seen that the project is huge and could get them some unknown proceeds hijacked the project which was against the memorandum of understanding and agreement between the agency and the SY Engineering Ltd the consulting firm.

“We want to use this medium to call on the FCT minister of state to intervene to allow the project to have a light of day.

“Visits to FCT DRTS known as VIO Mabushi car park where a public convenience is under construction seems to be abandoned and other places in the FCT.