The Accountant General of the Federation, Dr. Shamseldeen Babatunde Ogunjimi has urged Project Accountants and Internal Auditors to protect their integrity, bestowed upon them to manage project funds in the best interest of the citizenry.

Ogunjimi stated this in his keynote address at the opening of the 2025 Retreat for project accountants,assistant project accountant, finance officers, project internal auditor and assistant project internal auditors of donor funded federal projects in Nigeria, Thursday in Abuja.

Represented by Akuagwu Raphael chuks, Director Finance and Account (DFA), the AGF said the fund managers must take cognizance of the fact that borrowed funds for projects must be repaid and exercise necessary restraint while also ensuring profitable management of the projects.

He stated, “In this retreat, let us be guided by a shared vision; to strengthen the financial stewardship of our nations’ resources. We must not forget that this is an era of increasing complexity and scrutiny in public finance, making our role ever so important. We have the responsibility to uphold the highest standards of integrity as we manage public funds and to ensure that our Projects deliver value to the citizens we serve.

“I encourage each one of you to actively engage in discussions, share your insights and learn from one another. Let us leverage this opportunity, not only to enhance our skills, but also to foster relationships that will propel us towards achieving our various Project’s Development Objectives (PDOS).

“You must realize that you have been entrusted with not just Public Funds, but Borrowed Funds which must be repaid in time, either in ours or that of our children. It is a privilege that you have been chosen among the many Treasury Officers in the country to safeguard the future of this great nation as the first gate keepers of critical Public funds as represented by the over forty (40) Donor Funded Projects”, he stated.

He also called for innovations in funds and project monitoring towards achieving world best practices.