The plan to hold a workshop in London by Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein, the Accountant General of the Federation, has angered prominent Nigerian politician and billionaire Peter Obi. The Office of the AGF allegedly hosted a training in the UK on public financial management and international public sector accounting standards a few days ago, according to a report that went viral on social media.
According to the report by Punch, the workshop which was supposed to be attended in person by commissioners of finance of the 36 states of the federation and other government officials took place over the course of five days from March 4 to March 9, 2024.
While reacting to this in a thread on his official X (formerly called Twitter) handle, the former governor of Anambra State who contested the 2023 elections as the presidential candidate of the Labour Party expressed that Nigerians must vehemently denounce and condemn this gesture.
Peter Obi opined that any public function held abroad is a form of insensitivity to Nigerians’ plight considering the prevailing hardship in the country. Excerpt from his series of tweets reads:
“This decision is not only unacceptable but also deeply troubling on multiple levels. Holding a workshop in London raises concerns about transparency and accountability in government procurement processes. There must be full disclosure and justification for why London was chosen as the venue, as well as how the selection of vendors and contractors was made.”
