New Auditor General tasks staff on transparency, accountability

The newly appointed Auditor- General for the Federation, Mr Anthony Mkpe Ayine has called on the management and staff of the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation to let integrity be paramount in the discharge of their work.

This according to him will enable the Office to fit into the crusade of zero tolerance for corruption by the Federal Government.
The Auditor-General made this pronouncement on his assumption of duty in the Audit House.

Mr Ayine reminded staff of the constitutional mandate of the office as the foremost institution to ensure transparency and accountability in public expenditure and support the anti-corruption crusade.

He also implored management and staff to allow their service reflect the key words of the national pledge which are faithfulness, loyalty and honesty in order to pass the proper message to the public.

The Auditor-General appealed for team work, discipline and a high sense of responsibility among management and staff.
According to him audit is a profession of team work and it is only with team work that the office can impact on the nation.
Mr Ayine therefore called on management and staff of the Audit House to work with him to build a strong institution that will effectively ensure transparency And accountability in public institutions and tackle corruption.

Mr. Ayine began his working career in the then Audit Department (now office of the State Auditor-General) of Cross River State in May 1988 and served until 1992 as Auditor 1 when he moved to join the then State financial institution, Equity and Investment Company Limited, in Calabar where he progressed to the position of Principal Manager in charge of Finance in 1999.

Thereafter, the Cross River State Government invited him back to mainstream Government Civil Service to take charge of the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) in the State Ministry of Finance.

In September 2001, Mr. Ayine was subsequently appointed Auditor-General for Local Governments, a position which charges him with auditing of accounts of all 18 local governments of Cross River State. This was the position he held until he was appointed Auditor-General for the Federation on January 12, 2017 by President Muhammadu Buhari after emerging tops at rigorous mandatory written and oral interviews as set out for the position in accordance with the Federal Civil Service Commission.

Mr. Ayine has in the course of his professional career and duty attended several courses and training locally and internationally which have expanded his professional horizon and enriched his competences.A thorough-bred professional, Mr. Ayine has also served in several special and strategic committee assignments, all of which fittingly prepared him well for the tasks and challenges at hand.