‘Partnership with Chevron will boost membership drive’

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) has urged qualified members of Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) to join the Lekki District as part of avenues to give back to its host community.

Chairman of ICAN, Lekki District, Olufunmilayo Olaniyi, who spoke during a courtesy visit to Chevron, said this was part of its drive to engage with young professionals for the district’s Catch Them Young (CTY) initiative while also inculcating the institute’s virtues of integrity, accuracy, highest standard of professionalism and ethic in the profession.

Olaniyi, who appreciated the warm reception of the company, reiterated that the partnership since the previous visit in 2023 birthed the sponsorship of various projects, stating that the district is open to further support from the firm in areas of facilitating the CTY programme.

Chevron’s General Manager, Finance, Olmedo Marcus, in his remarks, expressed the firm’s interest in partnering with the District, stating that one of their core plans is in-house development of staff members, safety, and ensuring the integrity of the finance team.

“The company intends to continue to uphold the legacy and ensure that accountants should be influential leaders in whatever they do,” he said.

Also, Deputy General Manager (DGM), Finance, of CNL, Karim Tajudeen, while appreciating the visit, assured the District that they would always support and value the platform, which provides an avenue to relate with other accountants.

Olaniyi appreciated the collaborations, expressing her expectation to deepen the partnership by sharing emerging issues in the industry to assist in delivering value while encouraging the delegates to attend the 2024 yearly accountants’ conference and network in this dynamic environment and also assist to facilitate government’s support toward the industry in which CNL operates in.

She said that potential areas of collaboration between the two institutions include facilitation of webinars and other thought-leadership initiatives, recruitment opportunities for ICAN members at ascension, staff and partners of ascension joining the District and also support for the Catch Them Young initiative, which is targeted at reaching out to students with the intention of inspiring them to join the profession.

Senior Partner of Ascension, Azeez Alatoye, reassured the District of the firm’s support in all areas, emphasising the need to clearly delineate and align the location of organisations and residences of ICAN members to the appropriate District they should belong.

Alatoye also advised that the Catch Them Young initiative should focus more on soft skills and not only technical skills as the right attitude and disposition are required for success.