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The bursar of Federal Polytechnic, Ayede, Oyo State, Alhaja Rashidat Oladepo, has stressed that the institution’s bursary operations would be according to the global standards in the accounting field which is the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).
She stated this on Friday after a three-day in-house workshop for all the staff of the department (bursary, audit and procurement) on Public Financial Management Reforms (PFMR), using Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) application.
Alhaja Oladepo explained that the workshop became imperative due to the resoluteness of the Governing Council and the management to move the institution to high pedestal.
She said, “I really want to thank the Governing Council and the management, led our amiable rector, Dr Taofeek Adekunle Abdul-Hameed, for their support towards putting the workshop in place. I am sure that the participants have moved beyond where they used to be and that they will never remain the same again.
“The training was meant to improve the manpower of the bursary department of our institution to enable the staff appreciate the automated financial process and practice with global standards. I also want other staff, beyond bursary, to get acquainted with the process of accessing funds and presentation of financial related requisition.
“My major interest was to ensure that our bursary staff are conversant and compliant with global financial practices.”
The lead resource person at the workshop, who is the GIFMIS support coordinator for South-West Ibadan zone (Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states under the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation), Mr Adekola Adegoke, emphasised the significance of Information Technology (IT) in financial management activities.
Mr Adegoke, who was assisted by the GIFMIS support officer in Oyo State, Mr Kola Jinad, said: “The Federal Government took a decisive position to automate the paperwork with which government financial management activities were conducted over the years, leading to reformation of public financial activities.
“The application of IT in financial management activities of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) led to the introduction of the application called GIFMIS (Government Integrated Financial Information System) by the Federal Government with the objective of enhancing transparency and accountability in public expenditure.
While speaking on the core areas of the workshop, Mr Adegoke noted, “The workshop centered on public financial process which included budget preparation skills, budget execution skills, accounting procedure/process skills, report preparation and generation skills, assets management and inventory management skills.
“The training was meant to fulfill the aspiration of the Federal Government in ensuring that our accounting system complies with the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS).”
He, therefore, commended the trained staff for their commitment and enthusiasm which, according to him, they met up with 70 per cent appreciation of content of the training.
He added that the actual test conducted after the three-day workshop suggested 90 per cent knowledge acquisition.
The registrar of the institution, Mr Akin Odesola, said, “We thank God for the opportunity of the workshop. We appreciate the Governing Council and the rector, Dr Taofeek Adekunle Abdul-Hameed and the management for the enablement and the bursar for the ingenuity of the initiative.
“We are so grateful to the resource persons for their painstaking delivery and all time responsiveness.”
“I charged the trainees to make best use of the enormous wealth of knowledge gained to enhance efficiency in their work schedule and uplift the Federal Polytechnic, Ayede.”
The Polytechnic librarian, Dr Samuel Ogunniyi, maintained, “We can actually attest that the staff have learnt a great deal. We appreciate the resource persons for adding values to the bursary department of the Federal Polytechnic, Ayede.
“We encourage the staff to make use of the training, update their knowledge for overall contribution to the system. The workshop is a pointer to greater things to come especially as it affects other units in the Polytechnic.”
Also at the event which was attended by the institution’s Director of Academic Planning, Dr Mutairu Akintunde and the Dean of the School of Environmental Technology and Director of Physical Planning, Dr Kolawole Morakinyo, the Personal Assistant to the Rector and Chairman of the institution’s Corporate Communications Committee (CCC), Mr Azeez Ojo, charged the trainees to maximise the benefits of the workshop for the institution as well as their individual promotions.
