From Taiye Joseph, Ilorin
The Auditor-General of Kwara State, Alhaji Alayande Olajide, has urged accounting students to develop professional competence, strong ethics, and digital skills to remain relevant in a fast-changing profession.
Olajide gave the charge on Monday as keynote speaker at a symposium organised by the Nigeria University Accounting Students Association, NUASA, Kwara State University, KWASU, Malete Chapter.
The event, which held at the university’s Mini Convocation Arena, was themed “Preparing for the Future: Professionalism, Leadership, and Career Excellence for Emerging Accountants.”
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The Auditor-General, said Artificial Intelligence, automation, data analytics, and digital reporting are already transforming the profession.
“The future is no longer approaching, it is already here. The question is no longer whether change is coming; it is whether you are prepared to lead it,” he said.
A proud KWASU alumnus with an MBA, MSc, and a PhD in Finance in view, Olajide said accountants must move beyond bookkeeping to competence, integrity, sound judgment, and value creation.
He noted that accountants are custodians of public resources, responsible for ensuring government funds for education, health, and infrastructure are properly used.
“As Auditor-General, my office does not audit the past alone. We audit for the future. The future of Kwara State will be safe only in the hands of accountants who are professionally competent, ethically grounded and excellent in leadership,” he stated.
Olajide cautioned students not to rely only on university certificates. He said academic qualifications open doors, but professionalism sustains careers.
“Professionalism distinguishes an accounting graduate from an accountant. Skills may secure employment, but character sustains a successful career,” he said.
He advised students to pursue ICAN and ACCA certifications and build digital competence in Excel, Power BI, Python, and data analytics.
Warning against ethical lapses, he said: “In our profession, reputation takes 20 years to build and 20 seconds to destroy. In the future, integrity will be your scarcest and most valuable asset.”
On leadership, he added: “Leadership does not need a title. Every accountant is the last line of defence between waste and service delivery. Leadership is the courage to raise red flags.”
The AG urged students to embrace lifelong learning, improve communication and emotional intelligence, and build professional digital profiles.
“Don’t just be accountants that count money. Be accountants that count. Prepare for the future now because the future is already auditing you,” he concluded.
He charged the students to make KWASU, Kwara State, and Nigeria proud through professionalism, leadership, and excellence.
