ICAN Leaders Condemn Smear Campaign as Faceless Group Attacks Members

Segun Atanda/

Leading lights of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) have condemned smear campaigns by a faceless group attacking members through a rogue online blog known as upholdicancorevalues.com.

Spurred by political rivalry, some members have commenced underhand moves to drag perceived opponents in the mud and inadvertently soil the image of ICAN with the creation of a website to attack and malign personalities.

NewsmakersNG investigations traced the root of the crisis to the ICAN election held in May, in which Chief Oye Akinsulire lost his bid for re-election into the ICAN Council.

When contacted on phone, Chief Akinsulire expressed his anger at the outcome of the election.

He said, “Well, those who have brought it to your attention would have told you that they played a politics to defraud me of my election in May this year. I didn’t do anything. They did it against me. I won my election, and they defrauded me.”

Titled ‘Who Else is Involved? the publication accused principal officers of ICAN, including Chidi Ajaegbu, Onome Adewuyi, and Ismaila Zakari of orchestrating fraud in the electioneering process and not allowing all eligible members of the Institute to choose their representatives without coercion.

The blog post also accused the Registrar, Prof Ahmed Khumshe, as ‘the solicitor general of the cabal’ to which a director at FIRS, Mr. Tobi Abiola allegedly belongs.

The publication frowned at Abiola being celebrated with different genres of awards at different ICAN FORA, especially by district societies, and his preference for native attires.

ICAN Council member, Mr. Tajudeen Adewale Olayinka, said, “ICAN has an Independent Electoral Matters Committee. It’s Independent of ICAN Council. ICAN Election is most credible because two International Accounting Firms referred to as the ” Big 4 Firms” carry out pre and post-Election reviews of the processes. Based on the processes put in place, I believe the Election was NOT rigged.”

Olayinka added, “The Electoral Matters Committee is in the best position to give the account of what happened. There were almost 20,000 registered voters. It was electronic voting so eligible ICAN members could vote from any part of the world. The election was credible and there was no rigging. In a contest of two, one must win and the other must lose. The most important thing is for the winner to be magnanimous in victory and the loser should respect the wish of the electorates.

“ICAN is a National Professional Accountancy Body. It is not regional or ethnic. Members decide their representatives on the Governing Council. So, members decide who will stay or be removed from the Council. Election is in May 2023, I don’t have the crystal ball to know if I will be removed as far as it is today, no one is trying to remove me. What I strive to do is to represent and serve our members by respecting their decision.

“ICAN is not in crisis. ICAN activities are going as scheduled. We just had our ICAN conference in Abuja and recorded the highest turnout of our members. The highest in the history of ICAN. Despite insecurity, high airfare, and flood, members came to Abuja from all over the world. This is an indication that our members are pleased with their Council. This week, ICAN will conduct professional Examinations all over the Country, Cameroun, the UK, and the USA, and our activities are going on smoothly.

“We have a robust internal resolution mechanism where our members can lay their complaints and be resolved.  Aggrieved members should kindly follow laid down conflict resolution procedures. There is no need to damage the ICAN brand.

“Let me also state that as a human organization, there will be misunderstanding but we are blessed with respectable elders of the profession, and we resolve our differences seamlessly.”

Asked to comment on Tobi Abiola who the publication claimed is trying to upstage him, Olayinka said, “Although, the question is personal which I want to try to avoid. Mr. Tobi Abiola is an illustrious son of the Southwest. He has been empowering young people right from his days at Ilaro Polytechnic and has not relented. He has also received several awards in this regard.

“I think Mr. Tobi Abiola will be the last person to work against the Interest of the Southwest or ICAN in general because of his track record. All these allegations are rumours which are not based on facts but a fiction of some people’s imagination.

“As a colleague in Council, his passion is to reposition ICAN as a global brand in FinTech and he has been using his contacts to bring resources to empower young Accountants to be fully future-ready.”

Reacting to the development, another ICAN Council member, Mr. David Olugbenga Omidiji said, “First and foremost, it’s obvious that people are just being mischievous. They could be disgruntled, but the Institute has established processes for people to air their views and to lay their complaints, especially when they have issues that have not gone down well with them, either as individuals or as members of the Institute. So, for them to have left out all those processes, and have taken their cases to the public domain, rightly or wrongly, they have an issue there.

“Secondly, for them to have to remain faceless, that means – one, their intentions are probably not pure, or two: they are not sure of the information they have, and three: they have not offered themselves up for resolution, even if there are conflicts. Those are the three things that could make you want to remain anonymous and start attacking the institute or the leadership without coming out beating your chest that ‘Yes, here I am.’ At the end of the day, we realized that some of the information are not true. Some of the information also got so petty as to…describing the clothes being worn by people… It’s not in the law that set up ICAN that Chartered Accountants must always wear suits and black ties and all those things. If our forefathers have won that, times are changing.

“If you go to a lot of corporate organizations these days, they dress down most of the time.

If you go to all these South African countries, nobody wears ties or suits or whatever.

“The most disheartening thing is when you bring Corporate Institutions into your own fight with another person, one – you’re attacking the source of livelihood of that person, then two: for instance, when you bring Federal Inland Revenue Service into this kind of thing, this is a Federal Government establishment; one of the biggest establishments in the country. This is the highest employer of Chartered Accountants in Nigeria. And the contribution of this institution to the Institute, either in terms of sponsorship or support cannot be quantified. When you go ahead because you want to fight somebody, you go ahead to attack an Institution like that, then, you don’t mean well for the Institute.

“When the Institute has come out to invite anybody that has grudges to come out, all they do is to go and start releasing faceless whatever. If they have reasonable and factual grudges, let them bring it out, but if it’s just about election…

“Well, somebody said this is November and people are still complaining about the election that was held in May. Another May is just around the corner. At the end of the day, you would have probably spent the next one year crying over the last election, and when the next election comes and things still go the way you don’t want, you’ll come back and complain, rather than…

“No matter how good or bad the position is, it will always find its way into people’s minds. People will still support it. If they’re bold enough, they should have come out now and use it as a channel to get their views known to members of the Institute who will be going to the poll in May. But, if you remain faceless, even people who are sympathetic to your cause cannot identify you. So, there’s nothing they can do about it.”

ICAN President, Mallam Tijjani Musa Isa, told NewsmakersNG that he was not aware of the blog publication. He said, “Any issue that concerns ICAN goes to the Registrar and Chief Executive. If it needs my attention, my attention will be drawn.”

Isa had, however, highlighted at his investiture as the President of ICAN in May 2022 the importance of upholding the values of the accounting profession. He promised to deal with any member of the institute that wants to bring the profession into disrepute.

Isa said, “We must take on the gauntlet to redefine our values and defend the public interest. This is the surest way to redeem the profession’s credibility, rebuild its image and chart a course that will guarantee the prosperity of the Nigerian nation and indeed, the human race.

“Thus, as we strive to hold leaders at all levels to account, we will also scrupulously enforce compliance to our professional code of ethics and sanction all proven cases of misdemeanor by members without fear or favour.

“During the year, the Council will continue to give adequate publicity to the judgments of the Accountants’ Disciplinary Tribunal in order to assure the public that appropriate actions are being taken by the Institute on unethical practices by its members that are brought to its notice.

“We count on members and other stakeholders to report erring colleagues as the task of ridding the profession of any bad egg, and preserving our hard-earned image, is our collective responsibility. This is the challenge you have thrust on me by this historic election.”

When contacted, ICAN Registrar/Chief Executive, Prof. Ahmed Modu Khumshe, said that he was not aware of the publication as well.

He said, “For us in the Institute, we don’t consider any faceless comment. If you’re not bold enough to put your name or identify yourself, even if you have a petition – anonymous petition, we don’t consider an anonymous petition. That’s the policy. If you don’t put down your name, we don’t consider it. We have a Tribunal and disciplinary panel where we handle our members, but there must be a face to it. Somebody must identify with whatever you are writing.”

The response of ICAN Chairman, Ibadan, Mr. Ayuba Qadri is varied.

He said, “Number one: They always say that unanimity is a rare attribute of politics. When you have a group like that, there will be misunderstandings. And, when there’s a misunderstanding, there should be a resolution. What is happening presently in ICAN, I see it as a kind of misunderstanding that is bound to happen. It happens, even among family members. ICAN, as a body, is a family, and there’s bound to be an internal crisis as we are experiencing it now. So, that is exactly what is happening.

“Number Two: I would attribute the lingering problem to ICAN politics. As far as ICAN politics is concerned, and as it happens in anything they call politics when 2 or more people are vying for the same position or a post, that post cannot go to all of them. It will go to one of them. And when that post has now gone to one of them, the other party will be looking for every opportunity to bring down the person that has won. It is not the best.

“If we call ourselves a family, we should be able to settle whatever internal crisis we are experiencing amicably. Now, doing it to the extent of demeaning or stigmatizing the image of our fellow colleagues is uncalled for. Whatever happens, we have leaders. We have fathers in the profession. We have past ICAN presidents. I believe these people are wise enough, and older enough to settle any internal rancor that we may have. A situation where we are now setting up a particular blog or website to castigate our fellow human beings and colleagues is going too far. It’s not the best approach to issues. Not at all. And whoever might be doing that is not really thinking of the future growth and development of the Institute because, as the Yoruba people say – T’aba ta ara ile eni lopo, a o ki nrira lowon. When we have sold our family member cheaply, if we now have billions of naira to buy it later, we will not be able to. That’s exactly what is happening.

“Even if somebody is doing something you are not pleased with, we are human beings; we are not perfect. We are supposed to call ourselves and say what you have done to me is wrong, kindly adjust. I believe that person will adjust, but to go to the extent of spreading a lot of information online, we are taking it too far.”

In his response, Tobi Abiola told NewsmakersNG, “I have chosen to answer your questions out of respect which I have for your profession. There are many things I can’t discuss due to the confidentiality of the Council. But those issues which are personal to me, I will address.

“The last election had been won and lost since May 2022, but the interesting thing is that I never contested for any seat during the last election. I only supported some of the candidates whom I believe will give better value to the Institute just as every voter did. I don’t know what is my own in this matter. If there was to be a fight, the losers should be fighting the candidates that won. I’m just an ordinary supporter with only one vote and the person(s) that narrowly lost the election is/are fighting me. I’m a friend to almost all the contestants and I believe God gives victory to whoever He wishes. I also do not believe any election is worth being a do-or-die affair.

“People that narrowly lost the election, like the Mandela of Ikorodu District, Reverend Samson Disu FCA, had paid a visit to my office where we exchanged pleasantries and spoke about a lot of things which could be of benefit to our Institute. This complete gentleman, out of his own volition came on an unscheduled visit and he was warmly welcomed. This act will forever be dear to me, and he will forever be respected and cherished. In my opinion, this is the spirit of any election. When people play a match, one team wins and the other loses. As the referee blows the final whistle, the players start talking, hugging, and exchanging their jerseys. They don’t attempt to maim themselves after the match. A player in team A, can tomorrow cross to team B. A Yoruba adage says, “ere la n fi omo ayo se” meaning games are merely for entertainment purposes. If you don’t win today, tomorrow might be your time, and really, that is the way life is.

“It’s highly unprofessional for a Chartered Accountant to wish that I should lose my job and source of livelihood. These individuals continue to threaten my life and the lives of my family members all because of the ICAN election, where none of us receives a salary or earns an income. This is the most shocking and annoying part for me. I have taken them to the court of the Most-High God that I serve. How can they, leader and followers, wish a young man like me dead at this age? Could they have wished any of their children or brother dead in their prime? If anything happens to me, the world already knows where to look. Nonetheless, I believe in the Holy Bible as recorded in Psalm 118 v 17, that “I will not die but live to proclaim the glory of God”.

“As a young man, I sincerely, with lots of passion answered the clarion call to serve my highly beloved Institute. I never knew that ICAN election would turn out to be a do-or-die affair. The problem started when the Treasurer position, which I never lobbied or solicited for, was given to me, first by the Highly Revered Past President Razak Jaiyeola FCA and lastly by Dame Onome Adewuyi FCA. But to the glory of God and benefit of humanity and our members, I have served in that capacity to the best of my ability.

“It’s highly embarrassing and shocking to all Chartered Accountants across the country and internationally that ICAN election is now getting dirty and messy. There is a high degree of desperation, and I am willing to leave the terrain peacefully and continue to live my life happily. As I said earlier, ICAN Council is not a do-or-die for me. People had lost the election and, today, are happy and doing well for themselves. The Olympic spirit is what I believe we should all have. That is, “the joy is not in winning but in participating”.

“How can these people, their leader and hangers-on keep attacking my personality? They attacked my job, my District, and the awards given to me by various Districts by people of integrity. They didn’t stop at that, they also attacked my club, Joint Minds International, which I have been privileged to lead and which was formed 32 years ago. A club that had added value and still adding value to the ICAN Conference by introducing ‘Happy Hour’. This event is where many Chartered Accountants unwind. They even went further on to attack me for wearing Agbada at the ICAN dinner. The number of men who wore Agbada on dinner day was more than 500. This, in my opinion, is the height of pettiness and emptiness. 

“They didn’t even spare the District I pioneered, Ilupeju-Gbagada, and District – the Model District. A district full of vibrant young professionals who are highly responsible and are the future of, not only the Institute but, the profession. Why all these in the name of God? Is ICAN election a war? Why the attempt to destroy a young district that all young Chartered Accountants are proud of? Is it not wrong to throw the baby out with the bathwater?

“Our highly beloved and highly revered Institute was not spared either. These people are trying to pull down this noble Institute. My question to them is, if ICAN is destroyed, which Council do they want to preside over as President? They claimed the last ICAN election was rigged. At least, I can speak of when I joined ICAN Council in 2017 and I make bold to say as of today, it’s impossible to rig an ICAN election. This assertion by these individuals and their leader is uncalled for. Are they not trying to diminish the Institute’s goodwill and reputation? Is this not an attempt to de-market the brand? In the past elections won by them, are they reporting that those elections were rigged?

“I believe and honestly know that the spirit of the founding fathers of this great Institute will not allow them to achieve their aim of destroying our collective pride.”

Rebuttals have been issued by various ICAN bodies, including the Mowe & District Society, Ilupeju/Gbagada & District Society, and the Joint Minds International (JMI) which categorically stated that it was established 32 years ago and could not have been set up recently by one man for political purpose with an ICAN election in mind.

A rebuttal addressed to the Registrar of ICAN, sighted by NewsmakersNG, stated: “The attention of the 5th Executive Committee of ICAN Mowe & District Society has been drawn to a malicious article written by an Unknown Writer and hoisted on https://www.upholdicancorevalues.com/post/firs-ican-fraud-electoral-election-process-council.

“This malicious publication is similar to those publications the Institute had to debunk in recent times. As a District, we would like to put this rebuttal forward to set the record straight and disassociate Mowe & District Society from these unfounded lies against the person of an awardee of our District and ICAN Honorary Treasurer, Tobi Abiola FCA. This malicious and unfounded write-up was packaged by veiled actors with sinister motives.

“The 4th Executive Committee, in the company of the 57th President of ICAN, Mrs. Comfort Eyitayo, OON, mni, CFA, FCA, with her entourage, paid a courtesy visit to the Management of COLEMAN Wires & Cables as part of her itinerary for the Presidential Visit/Dinner & Awards Night to the District on the 13th of May 2022.

“During the visit, the 57th President appealed to the MD of COLEMAN to partner with the District on its building project. The MD promised to look into her request and requested some documents on the project, which the District has obliged. Furthermore, at no time during the discussion did COLEMAN promise to give the district N50 million. Please note that at no time did the District executives report to her members that COLEMAN promised the District N50million. This lie was poorly garnished.

“The information that the Executive Director was not celebrated and left the hall quietly is another poorly baked lie. The Executive Director was in the company of the CFO, Mr. Ilori Sanusi FCA with other staff members and they were treated with the highest hospitality and care available that evening. The ED represented the MD, who hinted us about his absence but assured us the ED and other Management staff will attend the dinner. In a telephone conversation with the CFO, he dispelled this lie and confirmed to us that they were extremely happy with the District and the award given to COLEMAN.

“At no time did the ICAN Honorary Treasurer, Mr. Tobi Abiola FCA, embarrass or make the ED, Coleman Wires feel embarrassed, likewise did any of his friends or colleagues embarrass the Executive Director of that esteemed organization. The account by the writer is not only malevolent, vitriolic, rancorous, defamatory, and catty but also malignant.

“We hereby dissociate Mowe & District Society from this campaign of calumny by unknown individuals and we call on the Council of ICAN to deploy resources to unravel these unknown fabricators and purveyors of lies aimed at destroying the premium ICAN brand that made many of us who we are today…”

The statement was signed by its 5^th Chairman, Mr. Omoniyi Osunsanya FCA, and the General Secretary, Mrs. Adekemi Adekunle FCA.

In its rebuttal, the JMI stated: “Our attention has been drawn to a publication currently going around on the internet and social media, especially within members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) where a campaign of calumny has been mounted against our Lead Doyen.

“In the said publication, our noble Club, Joint Minds International (JMI) was mentioned as a group organized to “favour his electioneering gimmick”. This allusion revealed a lack of correct information or ignorance on the part of the publishers of the said article as nothing can be far from the truth about our Club and Lead Doyen, Oluwatobi Abiola FCTI, FCA. While we do not intend to join issues with the publishers, we are willing to provide clear information about our Club, JMI, its history, activities, organization, and leadership, so that the publishers can be better informed and members of ICAN may not be misled.”

JMI further chronicled the history of its existence and its accomplishments:

INTRODUCTION

Joint Minds Club was first organized at Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro in Ogun State of Nigeria in June 1990 by students of the Department of Accountancy. The club adopted a mandate of ACADEMIC, SOCIAL & PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE as its focus, ONE LOVE as its motto, and the FAMILY LINEAGE system as its administrative pivot. The Club is presently being organized in the Departments of Accountancy of 12 higher institutions in Nigeria where it takes in 23 final-year students from each of these schools on a yearly basis. Upon graduation, student members are conferred with the status of Life Joint Minds (LJM) and are admitted into the membership of Joint Minds International (JMI).

ADMINISTRATION

Joint Minds International is a Club of many parts with a multi-layer organizational structure and not a one-man show as it’s being insinuated. The Club has its Board of Trustees duly registered with the CAC. This is the highest governing organ of the Club and is made up of top-notch professionals and equally successful members of the society who have at one time, or the other, been student members of the Club during their final year in their various institutions.

The JMI Council is the Executive organ of the Club that sees to its day-to-day administration. There are also other layers of administration for LJMs (Graduate members), JMs (Student members – HND/BSc), and JMAs (Joint Minds Ambassadors for final year ND student members).

GROWTH

Right from its inception, JMI has maintained a foresight of a strategic player in the academic, social, and professional development of its members. This is reflected in all its plans, policies, and programmes.

In 1995, the Club celebrated its 5th year anniversary with a Professional Forum held at the Lagos City Hall where a Highly Revered ICAN Past President, Mr. Dolanimi Babafemi Olabamidele (D.B.O.) Ogutuga was decorated as the Club’s Grand Patron. 

The above event was chaired by the then ICAN President 1994/1995, Late Chief (Mrs) Olutoyin Olakunri FCA who was represented by the then Vice President and later President 1995/1996, Sir Simeon Oguntimehin FCA with ICAN President 1996/1997 Mr. Emmanuel Itoha Ijewere FCA as a guest speaker on the topic – VAT: A Myth or Reality? The financial wizard, Chief Abiodun Ogunleye FCA, then Lagos State Commissioner for Finance was the Special Guest of Honour. Remember, VAT was introduced in 1993, and implementation of this tax type started in 1994. 

Even as a young organization in 1995, all these dignitaries were physically present at the JMI event. Furthermore, our association with quintessential professional, Past President Doyin Owolabi FCA also dates back to the early 2010s when he was our Special Guest of Honour at another JMI function in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Please note that Lead Doyen Tobi Abiola was not in Council nor had he nursed or thought about the idea of contesting the ICAN Council election at these times.

CLUB INITIATIVES

The Club has made its marks with numerous programmes and activities out of which the following can be easily identified as flagship, especially as they relate to ICAN and its members:

1.            The Annual Finance Act seminar: 

This is an annual event organized by the Club to review the nation’s annual Finance Act. It was first organized in 2019 at Muson Centre with more than 2,000 professionals in attendance. The 2020 and 2021 editions were held online as webinars due to the Covid-19 gathering restriction. Plans are already on for the 2022 edition, again at the Muson Centre.

2.            Happy Hour: 

Joint Minds International has been the organizer and sponsor of Happy Hour at both the Annual Accountants Conference and Western Zonal conferences. This has added an interesting twist to social gatherings and interactions at ICAN conferences and has also become one of the marketing points for conferences. 

3.            JMI Academy: 

This is the Club’s vehicle for mentorship, training, and scholarship for ICAN student members. More than two hundred (200) ICAN student members have gone through the JMI Academy and the Academy at present has ninety-one (91) students at various stages of the ICAN professional examinations being prepared for scholarship. The JMI academy has produced several ICAN prize winners amongst its fold at both the ATSWA and professional examinations. 

4.            JMI/TAISS (ICAN Scholarship Scheme): 

JM Academy presents indigent ICAN student members with scholarship initiatives at every diet of the professional examination of the Institute. This scholarship scheme, which covers both tuition and examination fees, is open to both JMI members and non-members and cuts across all geo-political zones, tribes, and religions. As of the last count, not less than 150 student members have benefitted from the scheme. For November 2022 diet, the scheme has provided scholarships for 37 students at a cost of N5.5m. Let us quickly state that the club is highly appreciative of well-meaning Nigerians and corporate Nigeria for associating with and sponsoring this initiative. 

5.            Annual Symposia:

Employment & Mentoring Symposium for student members at all schools where we can be located.  

TOBI ABIOLA SHOW

Lead Doyen Tobi Abiola, FCTI, FCA is today the Lead Doyen of Joint Minds International (JMI) which in popular parlance means the President and Head of the Club. He is Chairman of the JMI Council and a member of the Board of Trustees. These positions, he has earned through his belief, commitment, support, and dedication to the tenets of the Club and through the confidence of our over 10,000 members both in Nigeria and in the diaspora.

Joint Minds International has membership spread beyond ICAN. Some are members of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA), Certified Public Accountants (CPA), Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), Chartered Institute of Bankers, Nigeria (CIBN), Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, Nigeria (CIS) and all other professional bodies, eking out their living and making waves in all these professional bodies without being labeled as a group set up for political scheming. 

The Club also has a Chartered Accountants (ICAN) group where its members who are members of ICAN relate freely and share professional information. Joint Minds International, to the glory of God, has, directly or indirectly, produced well over two thousand, five hundred (2,500) chartered accountants of ICAN extraction. One of its members is a Council Member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation, Nigeria (CITN) while another is her Deputy Registrar. One of the pioneer members of this club is today, the Nigerian Managing Partner of the biggest accounting firm in the world. We have produced top government leaders, both at State and Federal Government parastatals and establishments; captains of industry, business gurus and boardroom leaders, and lots of individuals resident in the diaspora. We recently added to our profile the Rector of one of the big Federal Polytechnics in the country and more are still coming. 

The JMI initiative is lofty and should not be maligned as leaders have been produced by this enviable club. This initiative is a bigger and wider version of that birthed by another fellow of our great Institute, Dr. Adedeji Awobotu. His successful experiment with the Adrac Alumni, a body that brings professionals that had passed through the Adrac training the opportunity to network and socialize. Is this another bad initiative? in our opinion, no. We feel the more of these initiatives, the better for our Institute. Please don’t let us disparage good things on the altar of politics. 

We hereby state that in case anyone felt threatened by this noble club, then he/she can as well set up his/her own and use it as political machinery. A word of advice, however, is to know that an average Chartered Accountant is of sound and independent mind and not a zombie. In this club, we allow and encourage our members on their choice of careers the same way, we allow and encourage them to make their own political decisions, whether within or outside ICAN. However, we do not see it as a crime, if they decide to support their own in any election, and we owe no one any apology for that.

With this information being made available to the public, especially members of the Institute of

Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, we wish to categorically state that the JMI which was established 32 years ago cannot be said to have been set up recently by one man for political purposes with an ICAN election in mind. Though the Club mentors, encourages, trains, and sponsors its members and even non-members alike to become Chartered Accountants, it cannot be said to have been set up for “electoral manipulation of ICAN systems to favour his electioneering gimmick” and JMI cannot be said to be one of the “groups he organized for that purpose”. Lead Doyen Tobi Abiola FCA has lots of goodwill due to his selfless nature and efforts. As it’s popularly said, “luck is an opportunity that had been prepared for.” He had joined others in laying the foundation for this Club, and with sweat and sacrifices, they have seen to its growth, if the initiative is now working in his favour, let those that sleep while others labour, continue in their slumber. 

In conclusion, we understand all the politics going on because he has followers, and his re-election is around the corner. As a Yoruba adage goes, “ę má fi òtè ba ohun tó dára jé”, meaning we should not out of envy destroy a good thing. Our Lead Doyen should be celebrated and not maligned. 

Let us quickly state for the benefit of our Club’s teeming fans and friends that the finishing touches are being put into the launch of our new Club initiative, Joint Minds Business Club (JMBC) which, God willing, should come on board next year. This initiative will allow those who subscribe to the tenets and focus of our noble Club to be admitted into our Business Club and through the wide network provided by the Club, contribute to and enhance their own Academic, Social, and Professional development. JMI also states unequivocally, that we encourage anyone who wishes to know more about our Club to kindly visit our website: www.jointmindsinternational.com, or contact any of the undersigned executive members for further, clearer, and truthful information…

The Ilupeju/Gbagada & District Society of ICAN (IGDS) also issued a 5-page rebuttal signed by the Chairman, Prof. Godwin Oyedokun, and the General Secretary Chief Samuel Abey.

IGDS stated: “The attention of the Executives Committee of Ilupeju/Gbagada & District Society of ICAN has been drawn to a malicious article published by UPHOLDICANCOREVALUES BLOG as shared with the public, especially members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) online as well as through their emails. In the said article, our District, Ilupeju/Gbagada & District Society was mentioned as “…a group organized to favour electioneering gimmick… from where he is now fielding candidates for council election…”

We as Executive Members of Ilupeju/Gbagada & District Society unequivocally condemn this article in its entirety, and we make bold to say that Ilupeju/Gbagada & District Society of ICAN is not a group created for an “electioneering gimmick” like the writer of this article posited. The ensuing points would clarify our position as an ICAN District of repute.

2. 0 FORMATION OF ILUPEJU/GBAGADA & DISTRICT SOCIETY (IGDS)

Back to history lane, Ilupeju/Gbagada & District Society (IGDS) was inaugurated in 2021 just like any other ICAN District Society. As the founding pillars saw that there was no existing ICAN District within the coverage areas and this was envisioned, approval was duly sought and granted by ICAN Governing Council. All required procedures and standardized processes were duly followed in the formation of the Ilupeju/Gbagada & District Society. As a core requirement in the formation of a new District, Lagos Mainland District sponsored IGDS to the establishment. Our Inauguration and pioneer executive investiture ceremony was meticulously organized and well attended. This ceremony had in attendance, a Highly Revered Past President (HRPP) and father of the youths, Mr. Doyin Owolabi, FCA (President 2012/2013).

Ilupeju/Gbagada & District Society, like any other District, has Grand Patrons, Patrons, a District Coordinator & Executive Committee. So, what is the hullabaloo about? Could our fast membership growth and huge successes achieved by the district within our few years of establishment be the source of sorrow and bitterness to the writer(s) of this article and those behind this evil orchestration?

It is only laughable and worrisome that as a people, we read and see the positive yield of digitalization, noble vision conception, and strategic activation in advanced countries, and when those efforts are reciprocated in our domain with another outstanding result just like what we have seen and read about, the positive result is usually accompanied with bitterness, bickering, discord, and bad blood. This is a real definition of evil and deliberate wickedness in high places.

Peradventure, someone/some people somewhere cannot comprehend the speed, the growth, the vibes, the strategies, and the successes recorded in Ilupeju/Gbagada & District Society within the brief time of our formation and instead of applauding the decent work done in the district or coming for tutelage or at best staying muted, they resorted to reputational damage and name-calling. Absolutely, they are on the path of self-destruction.

What we simply did in our District, was to fill a gap in the various ICAN Districts. We focused on our young men and women, who are vibrant and wish to mix but are dwarfed by the older Districts. Please note, Ilupeju/Gbagada, the Model District, is working and the result is there for all to see.

3.0 FIELDING DISTRICT MEMBERS FOR ICAN ELECTION RESULT

The writer(s)also accused Ilupeju/Gbagada & District Society as a tool used for fielding candidates for ICAN Council. What a laughable accusation!

Many notable ICAN Districts such as Lagos Mainland, Ikeja, and Ibadan (to mention but a few) have at various times presented their members for Council Election and their members have won seats in the ICAN Governing Council Chamber up to Presidency. Some districts presently have as many as 5 members represented in the ICAN Council. Has that created any noise before now? Nope. Does that require noise from any corner? Not at all, since this does not contradict any section of the ICAN Electoral Law.

Why has Ilupeju/Gbagada who just presented one candidate for ICAN Council Election suddenly become an issue? Can someone tell us if there is any law or rule in ICAN Electoral Law prohibiting a new district to put up her member for ICAN Council Election? Or what exactly is the noise about a bonafide member of Ilupeju/Gbagada & District Society contesting for and winning a seat on the Council of our great Institute?

Just for the records, a young member, who had no political affiliation, during one of our district meetings, seeing the success recorded by our District under our pioneer Chairman came forward and expressed his opinion that Elder Gbenga Omidiji, FCA has done exceedingly well. He further said that if ICAN, as an Institution, has visionary and smart leaders of the pedigree of our Immediate Past Chairman, the Institution will grow in leaps and bounds. He said he should contest the ICAN Council Election. Please note that our IPC is a first-class honours degree graduate of Babcock University.

Our Pioneer Chairman is no other person than Councilor Gbenga Omidiji, FCA, a visionary and strategic leader who pioneered the affairs of the District from its inception due to his strong leadership capacity and valuable virtues, we thought it fit and wise to support his interest in rendering more services to the Institute at the Council level just the same way other candidates were supported by their various districts. The Chairman of the Electoral Committee was not from IGDS. Our Honorary Treasurer and IGDS Founding Pillar & Patron, Otunba Oluwatobi Abiola FCA (whom the writer has painted black without remembering to mention the color of his socks worn in the last ICAN Conference) were not even on the Electoral Committee, yet Elder Gbenga Omidiji won his election, free and fair. What exactly is the issue? Offering himself up for election or winning the election?

Recall, Elder Gbenga Omidiji FCA won the last Council Election with a total of 6,700 votes and IGDS had a meager 420 members as of the time of the last ICAN Council election. This means that his great leadership prowess was seen across the various District Societies and Chapters, which endeared and earned him votes from far and near, cutting across socio, religious, political, and ethnic divides. Is it a crime for a qualified member of ICAN, due to his district and friendship affiliation, to contest for a seat on the Council of this great Institute? We humbly believe your answer will be a NO!

4.0 OUR POSITION ON THIS ARTICLE & OTHER DEFAMING PUBLICATIONS ON OUR INSTITUTE & HER COUNCIL MEMBERS

A vivid digest of this piece, and others before it, shows that these articles were published with the sole intention of tarnishing the image of the Institute, her leadership, and dividing the Institute along tribal and ethnic lines.

As a District, and just like every other concerned ICAN member, we have keenly observed that this kind of slandering article and all other defaming write-ups have been in circulation since the announcement of the result of the last Council Election in May 2022. As such, we would not be wrong to infer that the writers of these obnoxious publications are fans, followers, or proteges of (some of) the candidates that were not successful in the last Council Election. This will then clearly show that some people are bad losers of elections. As we all know, the election is a game of numbers where there will be winners and there will also be losers. A loser of an election in a period can later become a winner of the same election in another period. This can be seen to have played out in recent history in our country, Nigeria. One cannot destroy a city and still want to be king in that same city earlier destroyed.

For how long will those behind these incessant negative publications continue to mourn? If they are still crying over the last election conducted in May 2022, another Council Election is almost around the corner. What do they set out to achieve with this derogatory publication and malingering tasks? Even though the Institute has come out to appeal and persuade all members to sheath their sword and uphold the core values of our Institute in building an ICAN that we desire, the orchestrators of these evil articles will not stop at de-branding the Institute’s image, knowingly or unknowingly.

We, as the ICAN MODEL DISTRICT, can only lend our voice to the Institute and appeal to those behind this name-calling and image-tarnishing agenda to desist from peddling all these falsehoods about our darling Institute and her leadership. Stop de-branding our darling Institute which the founding fathers laboured so much to build and which we of this generation are also contributing our quota to make stronger, as a thousand more of these negative publications would not stop us nor derail us from achieving the set vision of Ilupeju/Gbagada & District Society. Know that and have peace.

IGDS is a vision greatly conceptualized, and it is far beyond an individual or a few individuals. While we return all glory for the successes so far recorded to Almighty God, we acknowledge the support and immense contributions of our Board of Patrons, ably led by the highly revered Past President of the Institute, Dame Onome Joy Adewuyi, FCIB, FCA (Grand Patron), Otunba Tobi Abiola, FCTI, FCA (ICAN Council member & Honorary Treasurer and Lead Doyen, Joint Minds International), Alhaja Titilola Akibayo, FCTI, FCA and Elder Gbenga Omidiji, FCTI, FCA. No matter the level of the campaign of calumny mounted against them, we love them and will always stand by them, because we know them better.

We also acknowledge and appreciate the commitment, dedication, and contribution of our distinguished members whose sacrifices and contributions had brought us thus far. And we can positively confess and confirm with the assurance that the yield as of today is nothing compared to the glory ahead for us as a district and all our stakeholders. With God on our side, we will keep making positive records and bringing more glory to our Institute.

In conclusion, let us all remember the scriptural verse, “unless God builds the house, the builders labour in vain.” Also, let us not forget that God is the one that has the final say. As He wants it, He decrees it, and that is the result you will get. Man’s journey in life had been pre-ordained. A leaf cannot fall off the stem or branch of a tree without God knowing about it. What God has planned to do, no person born of man can stop it. Our advice to losers of the last ICAN election is to take it in good faith and move on as it might be their turn to win tomorrow.

Meanwhile, let us continue to praise the heroism of those of our past Councillors, who had at one time or the other lost elections, and invariably had to exit as members of the Institute’s Council. They walked away with their heads held high. They served our Institute with unblemished character, and they continue to serve her in other capacities. They did not break down the house they once universally loved passionately. They deserve our prayers and respect. These individuals are the true lovers and leaders of our Institute, and we should doff our hats to them with the utmost respect.

Finally, we implore the ICAN Governing Council and the Body of the Past President not to relent in taking all required steps to fish out these evildoers so that we can enjoy absolute peace.

When he later called back to denounce the publication by upholdicancorevalues.com which attacked ICAN members at the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). Akinsulire told NewsmakersNG: “I just saw it. Somebody posted it to me from our Abuja district. About 4 days later, I saw it in my email. Whoever wrote it, only God knows. I don’t know about it, but I can’t comment on what I never originated. Yes, it was rumored that the thing went around against my election, but as for me, I have moved on. I’ve left the whole thing in God’s hand, but whoever wrote that thing will be able to explain. I saw it. I can’t deny it.”

On how the crisis can be resolved, he said, “I think we have mechanisms in the system. I think it’s a matter of I don’t like you, you-don’t-like-me attitude. After a while, it will die down. People should not be hating each other for long. I think it will die down after a while. That’s my candid opinion, and God sees my heart. The profession is too noble to attract the negativity being brought in by all of us. Yes, we can cross each other, we can offend each other; anybody can have an interest in whatever, but I don’t think things should be allowed to degenerate to this extent.

“When I saw it, and read it, I shook my head. The person will know why he has written that way. I see some elements of immaturity from my own perspective. I wouldn’t talk about the way anybody is dressing. I read it and said, ‘what does that mean?’ What does it entail? It doesn’t mean anything. But then, it’s a matter of disagreement. It will fade away.

People got annoyed. People did so many things. Even, at a point, I was accused point-blank that I was the one writing all of them, whereas I was rounding up my Ph.D. then.”

Akinsulire added, “The Registrar of the Institute even said that he left the University Community for the seat. You can’t be rounding off your Ph.D. and have time for all these things. Then, we all have our different styles of writing. They should have studied and known that that is not my writing. Later, that one faded away. They got to know that I didn’t do it. And this one too, I don’t know anything about it. How it came up, I don’t know. I still don’t know up to this time. For me, I’ll just say with time, it will fade away.

“All of us should protect the interest of ICAN. Husbands and wives do fight, then they make up. People are bound to disagree in any society. It’s normal, but after a disagreement, there should be agreement. It can’t be forever. If it’s forever, we have foes then we should consider the interest of the Institute as well. This is a body respected by even the Federal Government. The way things normally evolve. That’s my candid opinion, God knows.”

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