The Chairman, Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria (ICAN), Ota District, Pastor Adeyinka Adesanya, has called for a renewed investment in the existing relationship between the institute and Covenant University, towards the maximization of benefits for faculty, staff and students of the University.
Pastor Adesanya made the call on Tuesday, December 2, 2020, when he led executives of the institute in the District on a courtesy visit to the University Management. He reiterated the vital role Covenant has played in the evolvement of the ICAN, Ota District. “We are here as a baby and offshoot of Covenant University, taking into account the pivotal role this university played in birthing ICAN, Ota District,” he stated.
He said the institute was at Covenant to cement the existing relationship between both institutions by taking a cursory look at possible areas of improvement. The visit, he added, was also to see how both parties could develop unique offerings to assist students of the University to experience accounting practice real-time. He said that ICAN Ota District would be working to connect undergraduate/graduate school students of the University to accounting/auditing firms of affiliated members, thus giving them necessary exposures.
Pastor Adesanya said it was the desire of the new ICAN executive members of the Ota District to partner with Covenant University in assisting staff of the University in benefiting from best industry practices. He said that the institute was also seking increased involvement in the ‘Town and Gown’ seminar series, and partnership in the organization of summits, workshops, symposia, and conferences.
The ICAN, Ota District Chairman, encouraged members of the Covenant University in finance-related disciplines to be part of the upcoming zonal and national conferences, to keep tab with latest trends in the industry, and actively participate and contribute to the evolvement of best practices in the profession.
The Head, Department of Accounting, Dr Dorcas Adetula, noted that the existing Memorandum of Understanding between Covenant University and ICAN had been mutually beneficial thus far. “From the current MOU in play, we have seen mutually beneficial gains, through scholarships and exchange programmes,” she added.
In his remarks, the Dean, College of Management and Social Sciences, Professor Uwalomwa Uwuigbe, commended the unique partnership and laudable role that ICAN played in the Department of Accounting. The ICAN, he said, had played a credible role as it related to students development, thus positioning them to operate at a higher level of professionalism.
Professor Uwuigbe called on the ICAN, Ota District leadership to work at the seamless entrenchment of students of the University into the workplace, to track their movement, and put in place a monitoring team to do an appropriate follow-up on their performance.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Abiodun H. Adebayo, while appreciating the courtesy visit, said Covenant would remain proud to associate with credible professional bodies, of which ICAN was a notable one. He commended the quality of tutorial and examinations emanating from the institute over the years, noting that when quality was lost all else was lost, thus the need for ICAN to maintain the high quality of the body’s academic standard.
Professor Adebayo decried the effect of corruption on the body polity. He tasked ICAN, as a body, to work towards ensuring that members of the noble profession were not compromised, and erring members be appropriately sanctioned. He hoped that such a move would mitigate corrupt practices at all levels.
The meeting had in attendance, the Registrar, Dr Oluwasegun Omidiora, the Chaplain, Pastor Kayode Martins, Professor Francis Iyoha, Professor Ochei Ikpefan, and Dr Imoleayo Obigbemi.