Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has urged accountants in the state to uphold the highest standards of accountability, integrity, and professionalism in the discharge of their duties.
Otti made the call on Tuesday during the 2025 International Accounting Day celebration held at the International Conference Centre, Umuahia.
The event had the theme, “Excellence, Innovation and Impact.”
Represented by the Accountant General of the state, Mrs Njum Onyemanam, the governor commended accountants in the state, particularly those in the public service, for their contributions to the actualisation of his administration’s development goals.
He, however, charged them to deepen their commitment to transparency and ethical conduct.
He said, “The roles expected of them (accountants) to play are what they are already playing, but they have to sustain it and also continue to improve on the momentum and the impact they are adding in governance,” Otti said.
He added, “They have to continue to be more and more accountable, more and more value-adding, upholding the values and ethics of business.”
The NHIS is a social health insurance programme aimed at providing financial risk protection and access to quality healthcare for Nigerians.
In 2022, the Federal Government mandated all employers and employees in the public, private and informal sectors to obtain health insurance after former President Muhammadu Buhari signed the National Health Insurance Authority Bill, 2021, into law.
During debate in the National Assembly, the sponsor of the bill and former senator representing Kwara Central (2019–2023), Dr. Yahaya Oloriegbe, said the law would establish a “robust, affordable and sustainable financial mechanism for health” and enhance Nigeria’s pursuit of Universal Health Coverage by 2030.
The government maintains that the NHIS will benefit workers by improving access to affordable and quality healthcare, reducing their out-of-pocket medical expenses.
It added that the scheme already covers about 99 per cent of federal employees.
Last week, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, noted that the government had expanded the national health insurance coverage from 20 million to 60 million Nigerians.
