Presidential visit: Forensic auditors warn ICAN over unbridled utterances

By Innocent Imoh
                                               

Promoters of Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Auditors of Nigeria (CIFIAN) have taken a swipe at members of the Institute Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) over its recent statements on CIFIAN Bill when it visited President Muhammadu Buhari.

Protem President of Forensic Auditors of Nigeria, Mrs Victoria Enape in a statement signed on their behalf, described ICAN's statements as 'unbridled utterances', urging President Muhammadu Buhari to ignore any move ICAN is making to scuttle forensic auditors bill.

 ICAN had last week urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to assent to CIFIAN Bill that was recently passed by both legislative chambers during its recent visit to the Presidential Villa in Abuja, and this Bill had made Forensic Auditors of Nigeria and ICAN to be at loggerheads.

"Our attention has been drawn to the mischievous and malicious prayer of ICAN to Mr. President Muhammadu Buhari during their visit to him about the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Auditors of Nigeria Bill which was on the air in AIT, NTA and Channel television of Friday 19th October, 2018.

"We are not surprised about ICAN’s unbridled utterances which are due to their ignorance about the difference between Accounting profession and anti-fraud fraud organization.

"Ordinarily, We would have ignored the baseless issues raised during their visit to Mr President, but for the sake of Mr President and the public who are being misled by this unfortunate development and posterity, we are inclined to offer some clarifications, so that the whole world would discern between the truth and continuous deliberate effort of ICAN to thwart the noble course that is beyond an individual or personal and parochial interests of any group," Mrs Enape said.

She continued, "It should be noted that while this malicious statement by ICAN can be easily dismissed by every discerning mind considering their previous acquired reputations and credentials on attacking every good professional body that they envisaged will expose their weaknesses, and the obvious lies conveyed in their statement to Mr President, leaving such lies in the public domain without appropriate response may be interpreted by unsuspecting members of the public as conceding to the antics of ICAN statement.

"We, therefore, wish to set forth the following critical facts as our response to this mischievous and calumnious statement by ICAN.

"We  are not the first to be attacked by ICAN, it is in their blood to do so, and they did same to ANAN, CITN and several others but they failed, and they have also failed already on CIFIAN Bill."

While ICAN argued that the bill is duplication of its mandate, the promoters of CIFIA Bill explained that the roles and mandate of both institutes are clearly different, saying "the mandate of ICAN is over the regulation of members of accountancy profession and not forensic.

"Chartered Institute of Forensic and investigative auditors of Nigeria is anti-fraud organization saddled with the responsibility of providing skills to professionals from different fields on the use of science and Technology to prevent, detect and investigate fraud, and also put in place sophisticated mechanisms to block the loop wholes of illicit financial flows."

CIFIAN boss further noted that ICAN is ignorant of what the Bill entails, adding that the organization has arrogated to themselves undue power of instructing the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the Bill to sign and the one not sign.

It also cautioned ICAN to stop fighting other Professional bodies, saying the body has done a lot of damage to the Nigerian economy.

According to her, "This kind of attitude of ICAN fighting every professional body must stop. After all the Skye is too wide for birds to fly without classing. ICAN please be cautioned about this unbecoming behaviors of yours that have done much evil to Nigerian economy.

"What is generally conceded and empirically observed is that there is a global determination to root out corruption, fraud, money laundering and financial crime in any way the country deems expedient, including new legislations to deal with the monster."