FG Approves  Acting Accountant General, Okolieaboh’s Retirement

*Sets official exit for May 28

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The federal government has approved the retirement of the Acting Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Mr Sylva Okolieaboh,  based on the notice of retirement which Okolieaboh submitted on April 13, 2023.
THISDAY learnt from various government sources that Okolieaboh sent in his notice of retirement to the Head of Service of the Federation in mid-April in line with established civil service rules.

The  source confirmed receipt of the letter and acceptance of same early this month.
Besides, it was gathered that Okolieaboh who served in the position for almost a year following his appointment in June last year has also prepared his handover papers in readiness for departing the public service on May 28 when he will attain the statutory retirement age of 60.

He joined the Federal Civil Service in August 2000 as an Assistant Chief Accountant, rising through the ranks until his elevation to Acting AGF. Okolieaboh who hails from Uli, Anambra State is the first head of the institution from the South-east in the history of the institution.
A core member of the Federal Government of Nigeria Public Finance Management (PFM) reform team,  Okolieaboh was also pioneer PFM Team Leader for the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS).

He was the author of the GIFMIS Chart of Account which has now been adopted as the National Chart of Accounts.
He was the pioneer Director, Treasury Single Account (TSA) at the OAGF, international expert in public financial management and has written extensively on various PFM topics in both local and international journals.

In his notice of retirement, the Acting AGF expressed his gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for the opportunity to serve.
He also thanked the Chief of Staff to the President, the Minister of Finance and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
During his time in office, Okolieaboh was said to have rallied his colleagues to stabilise the nation’s apex finance management office following the instability that characterised the tenures of his two predecessors.

He was also instrumental in the ASUU-FG impasse over the IPPIS and consolidated on the reform especially with the roll-out of the bottom-up cash management and enforcing stricter control on the IPPIS.
A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Mr. Okolieaboh holds a Masters Degree in Public Financial Management from the University of London and has received executive training from some of the world’s most reputable institutions.

They include the Harvard Kennedy School; London School of Economics; University of Oxford; among numerous others.
In June 2014;  Okolieaboh was invited directly by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to participate in a month-long training Government Finance Statistics in Washington DC. He was the only participant from the entire West Africa at the course.

At the last monthly meeting of the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) which was chaired by the outgoing AGF on behalf of the Minister of Finance, Okolieaboh was said to have received a rousing applause for his performance in office.