By Henry Uche
Mrs. Olujumoke Comfort Eyitayo was the 57th president of ICAN and founder/CEO, Comfort Olu Eyitayo & Co.
In this interview with Daily Sun, she maintained that women should not abandon their dreams to be achievers because they are married, no matter the circumstances, as women can be successful entrepreneurs. She shared insights on how her wealth of experience affects women around her as she progresses in the accounting world. She also spoke on leadership issues in Nigeria across board, among other issues.
What message are you passing across in your book, ‘How to be a successful Mumtrepreneur’?
Women should not abandon their dreams to be achievers because they are married, no matter the circumstances. Women can be very successful entrepreneurs and pursue their goals to the ultimate. A woman is able to handle many tasks successfully and balance work, family and life if she puts her mind to it. I salute every woman who defies all odds and achieves her dreams.
Given the hardship in Nigeria, what do you think is wrong?
I share the view that everything rises and falls on leadership. However, it is also true that followers deserve the leaders they get. No doubt, some leaders are bad but in the same vein some followers are even worse. Don’t forget that these leaders rose from among us. We see them do evil things, but as long as our interest is factored into their shady deals, we look away. Hence, we lose the moral right to complain. This goes round in a vicious circle until the majority of us are polluted and society becomes rotten for it. If you are still in doubt, examine the answers to the following questions: Are our leaders, alien to us or they came from among us? Do we point out their errors timely to avoid their becoming entrenched in bad deeds? Do we seek sanctions for wrong doing to deter others or do we celebrate them in other to get our own share or we look the other way to avoid a backlash on ourselves? Do we uphold merit rather than mediocrity in appointment? Do some of the leaders understand the purpose of their appointment or leadership? Therein, lays the answers to your questions. Remember, when purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable.
How were you able to overcome all odds to get to this level of influence, as you belong to many professional bodies, both national and international?
I owe my success to the finger of God that operates in my life. I am a hardworking individual, committed with a lot of perseverance in the face of circumstances where I suffered setbacks or face challenges. With a desire, determination and belief in God, I always find ways to achieve my goals and overcome my challenges.
How do we overcome a system of government that favours special treatment and preference in the public sector?
Yes, we can overcome, especially in politics; a system in which only the elders are chosen as rulers or government by unscrupulous/unsuitable people, when we are ready to change ourselves and values for the better. We need a people who are nationalist, who genuinely believe in the project, NIGERIA. We must as a people begin to put Nigeria first. Do what is right. Elect the right leaders with good track records of performance. Celebrate meritocracy rather than mediocrity (simply put, we should match the right peg to the right hole).
Many people believe Nigeria is a scam since Britain left us. Some see Nigeria as a toddler in Africa,
Nigeria can get it right if the people (leaders and followers alike) can submit ourselves, to genuine value reorientation, retrace our steps and go back to the basics including our cultural values.
How is your wealth of experience impacting women around you?
At every opportunity, I do not shy away from sharing my story purposely to encourage and mentor other women like me. I often like to speech when invited and counsel women folks (in the church and society at large), sharing personal experience and assuring them that the glass ceiling is breakable if they so desire.
As a past president of ICAN, what innovations did you bring on board?
I had a mission to make visible impact both for the Institute and its members. One of the major projects of the presidential year is the establishment of an ICAN Entrepreneurship Development Centre to empower members to be job creators rather than job seekers. The structure was built from scratch at ICAN Centre, Amuwo. It comprises FinTech, Professional Practice and production sections. We graduated the first two sets of participants at the Centre who were placed on attachment for work experience with volunteer organizations. The feedback from the successful participants was highly encouraging.
Another initiative allied to entrepreneurship was the ICAN-BOI Innovation+ Hub. It was established in partnership with BOI designed to help members with other participating members of the public to tap into the growing community of tech innovation talent for delivering new digital products and services to Nigerians, and possibly the world at large. We gave the National Secretariat building a facelift, aside that, the novel institutes’ online TV programme. The initiative is aimed at providing a platform for the Institute to engage and educate its members and the public on topical issues in the economy weekly. Additionally, the International Accounting Day 2021 was celebrated in a grand style, massively by all the 69 District Societies of the Institute with organized programme to mark the day in their various jurisdictions simultaneously in line with the programme outlined by the national Body. Celebrations included Health Walk in Lagos and across major cities in the country with Prize scholarship Awards for the Essay Competition organized for accounting students in higher Institution in all parts of the country.
Are there things you wished you could have done or even better?
Not really, I achieved all I planned to do and even surpassed the set goals at the beginning of the tenure. However, if I had additional time to perform, with strategic thinking, new frontiers/ground would have been broken.
Some people frown at ICAN’s admission of all kinds of professions into the body. How would you say such fellows (chartered accountants without accounting background) have been doing in the accounting world?
I would say such posture is borne out of inadequate understanding of how the process works. The facts are as follows: Non-accounting graduates do not get the same level exemption as the accounting graduates. At best some non-accounting graduates may get subject for subject exemption, depending on their course of study, while some may not get anything at all. What this means is that those non-accounting graduates have more examination stages/papers to clear to qualify. Some or many of them would have to go through all the stages of the examinations to qualify. Ironically, some of them do very well in exams and workplace more than some accounting graduates, perhaps because they do not take any pre-acquired knowledge for granted since they are starting from the beginning (ground zero).
You were conferred Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON), by President Muhammadu Buhari, how has it impacted to your life, and how would that affect people around you?
It attracts so much respect for me as a person, anywhere I go and the OON is announced. It endears a good feeling of recognition for one’s efforts. On the other hand, I’ll like to see the impact on people around me from the perspective of encouragement for hard work, mentorship and need to do the right thing when you are opportune to be in a position of authority. It also speaks volume about recognition for my work, efforts or contribution being noted by others.
How do you manage corporate world and family?
It requires good understanding, to be able to create the needed balance between the two important aspects of my life. I was lucky to have learnt that, early in life. It is not easy but it is achievable especially when you have a good supportive family base. I am grateful to God that I have supportive family.
Is there anything you are pushing/advocating earnestly for public good?
I am passionate about fostering good governance in any Organization /Institution/Establishment. If good governance is correctly implemented, some of the ills in our society would be largely curbed as organization /institution/establishment are key players in the smooth running of the economy/society and by extension, the government.