President Bola Tinubu has challenged Nigeria’s accounting profession to shift its focus from how much the government spends to what it achieves with public funds, as the Federal Government faces growing demands for greater accountability and measurable results from its fiscal reforms.
Tinubu, represented by the Accountant General of the Federation, Shamsedeen Ogunjimi, made the call on Tuesday at the 31st Annual National Conference of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN) in Abuja.
The President said accountants should play a more active role in governance, public-sector reforms and economic decision-making rather than limiting their functions to financial record-keeping.
“The question has no longer been how much was spent. We must increasingly ask what was achieved with what was spent. That is the transition from accounting to accounting for results,” he said.
The call comes as the Federal Government pursues tax, revenue and public-finance reforms aimed at improving revenue mobilisation and expenditure management.
For Nigeria, the challenge extends beyond raising revenue. The effectiveness of public spending has become increasingly important as the government seeks to finance infrastructure, social services and economic programmes amid competing demands on limited resources.
Tinubu said reliable financial information was essential for effective planning and resource allocation, while transparency and accountability remained critical to restoring public confidence.
He said the 2026 budget placed emphasis on stronger budget institutions, programming discipline, monitoring and reporting.
The President also urged accountants to participate in policy design by challenging assumptions, identifying financial risks and providing evidence-based solutions.
ANAN President and Chairman of Council, Zuwairat Talatu Kishimi, similarly argued that accountability should begin before public money is committed.
She said institutions should determine what they intend to achieve, the expected cost, associated risks and how performance would be measured before resources are deployed.
Kishimi described the disconnect between resources committed and results delivered as an “accountability gap”, arguing that closing it should become a central responsibility of the modern accountant.
“A budget is not yet a road. An appropriation is not yet a functioning hospital. Revenue collected is not yet better than public service. An investment announced is not yet a job created,” she said.
The distinction is particularly relevant to Nigeria, where budget implementation is often assessed primarily through the amount released or spent, while the quality and measurable impact of completed projects receive less attention.
A performance-based approach would require government institutions to demonstrate whether expenditure translated into completed infrastructure, improved services, increased productivity or other defined outcomes.
Tinubu also urged accountants to prepare for the growing use of artificial intelligence, automation and data analytics in financial management.
He said automation would reduce the need for accountants to perform some traditional tasks but would create opportunities for professionals to focus more on analysis, forecasting, risk management and strategic advice.
“Some traditional accounting tasks will become automated. That is not a threat, it is an opportunity,” he said.
Kishimi similarly argued that technology should complement rather than replace professional judgement and ethical responsibility.
“The future is not accountant versus technology. It is the accountant whose capability is amplified by technology but whose judgement is never surrendered to it,” she said.
For Nigeria’s public sector, the technology shift could have implications beyond the accounting profession, particularly in budget monitoring, revenue administration, procurement oversight and fiscal-risk management.
Tinubu urged accountants to strengthen their skills in public financial management, digital finance, data analysis, fiscal-risk management and economic policy.
He also called for stronger collaboration among federal, state and local governments, businesses, professional bodies, academics, development partners and civil society.