20th February, 2012
Professor Francis Ojaide, the 47th President of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), has called on the Federal Government to ensure that all refineries in the country are working at full capacity.
Ojaide, who made the call in Lagos on Sunday while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), stressed that this would reduce the cost of fuel in the country.
“When our refineries are solid on the ground, we will produce fuel at minimum prices,” he said.
The ICAN chief, however, urged the Federal Government to keep on dialoguing on issues relating to the country’s security and the 71.5 percent poverty index.
“What the government should do is to look at facilities which will promote the wellbeing of the generality of people and make them functional.
“Such facilities include electricity, good roads, health facilities and easy access to micro finance, among others,” he said.
Besides, Ojaide said that ICAN had contributed a lot to Nigeria’s economic development, adding: “We have done a lot and this, perhaps, encouraged President Goodluck Jonathan to honour the institute’s 47th President.
“We have put together some memoranda that would help lawmakers and Federal Government to decide on pertinent development issues,” he said.
Ojaide pledged that ICAN would make tangible efforts to develop its district societies across the country.
He noted that a major challenge affecting the district societies was the inadequacy of parking spaces, adding that a lasting solution, which would also be beneficial to the residents of the communities, would soon be found.
Ojaide said that the institute was looking at a situation where properties that were not in use around the district societies would be acquired from their owners, particularly with regard to the Ikeja District Society.
“ICAN is ready to acquire these properties and, in turn, use them to impact positively on the lives of its members and residents of the community,” he added.