The President of Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), Prof. Edet Iwok has charged professional accountants to join the federal government in the crusade against corruption.

Prof. Iwok gave the advice in a message to the Mandatory Continuing Professional Development (MCPD) progr-amme of the association held recently in Owerri, Imo State.

The ANAN president, who was represented by the first vice president, Mr. Sam Nzekwe, said that "all our members wherever they are serving must brace up to the challenge of eradicating corruption in the society."

He recalled that in July 2005, the executive committee of the council of ANAN paid a courtesy visit to President Olusegun Obasanjo and presented to him a 14-page memorandum articulating the association's views on contemporary issues relevant to the growth of the economy and the implementation of the various reform programmes.

"We took the opportunity to highlight the contributions the association has been making towards eradication of corruption in the society," he said.

Prof. Iwok pointed out that the executive committee told President Obasanjo that the association organised a national conference on corruption in year 2000 as well as a national essay competition on "the role of Professional Accountants in the anti-corruption crusade in Nigeria" for accountancy undergraduates in Nigerian Universities and polytechnics.

The ANAN president stressed the need for training and re-training of accountants for them to respond to the dynamics of the society.

He said that the accountants' professional ethics imposed an obligation on every member of the association to return to school periodically for professional rejuvenation.

Prof. Iwok added that the MCPD programme helped to sharpen the skills of members and make them more useful to their clients and employers.

The theme of the MCPD was "Appraisal of Statutory and Regulatory Framework of Financial Reporting."