DELSU Accounting Department Organizes Public Lecture In Memory Of 1st HOD

By Ben Nwanne

The memory of the first Head of Department of Accounting at the Delta State University, Abraka (DELSU) Late Mr. Wilson Erhirhie came alive at the 750 Hall A, Campus III, where the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Andy Egwunyenga, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Professor Mrs. Rosemary Okoh, joined family, friends, colleagues, ex-students to celebrate the life and times of the first rate accountant.

Professor Egwunyenga who recalled the stirling qualities of the Late Mr. Erhirhie noted that the public lecture was to celebrate his achievements, contributions and the lasting impact he made not only in his Department of Accounting, Faculty and the University at large.

The Vice-Chancellor noted that the Late Mr. Erhirhie was a man of “great intellectual capacity and vision. He was a man of perseverance in adversity with unwavering commitment to excellence.*

The Professor of Parasitology and Entomology described the Late Mr. Erhirhie, who passed on May 3, 2023 at age 85, as a passionate advocate for accounting education who understood the transformative power of education in general.

“Let us all be inspired by his passion for nurturing young minds”, he advised.

“Let his passion for investing in the education of our youths, his critical thinking, empathy, creativity and skill acquisition guide us”.

Welcoming guests to the occasion, the Head of Department of Accounting, Professor Austine Okolie deployed statistics to support the claim of Late Mr. Erhirhie’s impact.

According to him, more than 95% of the staff of the department and over 70% of the Bursary staff, including the current Bursar, Mr. Otimeyin Ekakite-Omojuwa, were taught and mentored by the deceased.

ALSO READ: IT Expert, Oborakpororo, Says No Single Approach For Digital Leadership Guarantees Success

On his part, the Dean of the Faculty of Management Sciences, where Accounting Department is now domiciled, Professor Akpomuvirie Mukoro described the Late Mr. Erhirhie as an exemplary mentor, teacher, father and colleague, adding that he was “like a candle that burns itself out to light the way for others”.

He continued: “Pa. Erhirhie’s teaching and lifestyle will continue to resonate throughout the life time and career of those he mentored and thus making him a presence that will truly never die”.

Presenting the public lecture entitled, “Accountability in Governance” at the occasion, the guest lecturer, Associate Professor Ochuko Emudainohwo, a former student of Late Mr. Erhirhie and currently Dean of Faculty of Management Sciences, Dennis Osadebey University, Anwai, Asaba, defined accountability as “being answerable to all stakeholders for actions and results”, among other definitions.

He added that accountability “is not only what we do but also on what we do not do, for which we are accountable”.

Associate Professor Emudainohwo explained that good accountability revolved around transparency, meaning that citizens have information about commitments that the state has made and whether it has met them; answerability, citizens can demand that the state justifies its actions; and enforceability, that the citizens can sanction the state if it fails to meet certain standards.

He described governance as “the process of decision-making and the process by which decisions are implemented (or not implemented), adding that government is only one of the factors of governance, while others are: individuals, communal regulations, organized associations, religious leaders, finance institutions, political parties, the military and others.

He identified some characteristics of good governance to include: participation, consensus, accountability, transparency or openness, effectiveness and efficiency, equity and inclusiveness, adherence to rule of law, sustainability, responsiveness, among others.

On the other hand, his ideas of bad governance are inefficiency, red tapism, bureaucracy, bottleneck, maladministration, corruption and secrecy. .

The top accountant, who is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA), advised that those concerned should make corruption unattractive based on available data, citizens should be made to be familiar with the laws of the land, regular review of and reporting of government revenue, exploitation of natural resources, election regulations, the encouragement of women and youths participation in government, among other issues.

In order to enhance government operations, Associate Professor Emudainohwo articulated the importance of accounting in governance to include bringing honesty in public servants due to fear of punishment, restraining corruption, nepotism, instill caution and accuracy in the work of public servants, enhance simplicity and clarity in the administrative work while establishing transparent and welfarist administration.

In a moving tribute to their father, one of his sons, Akpevwe Erhirhie said he was a great father, friend, counsellor, motivator and an educationist who was a true blessing.

According to him, his father “always said that education is a step away from poverty and the best way to make someone successful is to have good and quality education”.

He believed his father, was also a prolific author, a workaholic who devoted so much time to his family and students to enable them attain success.

“You so loved your job that you had no time limit. Closing hours and weekends did not stop you from attending to your students. Your home was an extension of your workplace”, he reminisced.

Speaking in the same vein, the second child of the deceased, Mrs. Ufuoma Ohwonigho, a Principal Assistant Registrar (PAR) in the Registrar’s office, said her father was a man of deep understanding who saw tomorrow with hope, as he never gave up on anything he set his mind on.