‘What matters is creating structures that make it difficult for financial misconduct to happen’ – Oluwatoyin Madein

OLUWATOYIN MADEIN (Ph.D) was appointed as the Accountant-General of the Federation on May 18th, 2023. She drew upon her wealth of experience and hindsight to drive institutional reforms in Nigeria, and with unwavering determination and equanimity, she set out to revolutionise the country’s financial system. Ending her tenure today, she shares with KEMI AJUMOBI on her mission, journey, and lessons learnt. Excerpts.

Can you share the most pivotal moments in your career that led to your appointment as the Accountant General of the Federation? Being the first female, what does it mean to you?

Looking back, I’d say my career has been a journey of preparation. Every role I took, every challenge I faced, shaped me for this responsibility. It wasn’t just about moving up the ranks, but about consistently doing my best, paying attention to details, and focusing on results. Being the first female AGF is significant, but what matters more to me is what I did with this opportunity. If doing this opens more doors for women and strengthens the foundation of public financial management, then I would have done my job well.

What was your vision when you first took office, and how did that vision evolve?

At the start, my focus was to improve efficiency and accountability in public finance management. But as I settled in, I realized that the real challenge isn’t just about setting up policies—it’s making sure they actually work in practice.

I had to focus more on implementation, making sure reforms don’t just look good on paper but actually make life easier for Nigerians. So, my vision evolved into not just strengthening systems, but also making them sustainable beyond my tenure.

What were some key challenges you faced while establishing the accounting system for the nation’s treasury, and how did you overcome them?

Honestly, one of the biggest challenges was the mindset shift. People are naturally resistant to change, especially when it affects how things have been done for years. To overcome this, I had to listen more, engage stakeholders, and show them how the changes we were implementing would actually make their work easier and improve efficiency. Sometimes, it wasn’t about enforcing policies, but about making people see the benefits for themselves.

Discuss the specific steps you implemented to improve the efficacy of the public financial management reform initiatives?

When I assumed office, my focus was on strengthening existing reforms and ensuring that policies weren’t just in place but were actually working efficiently.

Some of the steps we took include:

– Enhancing compliance with the Treasury Single Account (TSA) – The TSA was already in place, but we had to ensure full adoption across all MDAs and tackle loopholes where funds were still being mismanaged.

– Improving financial reporting – We worked on making reports more timely and accessible so that both the government and the public could track financial flows more effectively.

– Strengthening internal control measures – We introduced stricter monitoring mechanisms to detect financial discrepancies early.

– Focusing on capacity building – We ensured that financial officers across MDAs were well-trained to operate within the new systems, reducing errors and inefficiencies.

Instead of starting from scratch, I prioritised making sure the reforms in place actually delivered real impact.

Read also: Meet the first female University students in Nigeria

What innovative practices did you introduce to improve accounting transparency and efficiency?

For me, it wasn’t just about introducing transparency, but about making the system work better for everyone. Some of the key innovations included:

– Strengthening the TSA so that government funds are centrally monitored.

– Improving financial reporting so that allocations and expenditures are clearer to the public.

– Leveraging technology to reduce manual errors and inefficiencies in payment processing.

Rather than transparency for the sake of it, I focused on building systems that naturally encourage accountability.

Maintaining integrity is critical in accounting. How did you ensure incorruptibility within your department?

Integrity is important, but let’s be honest—no system is perfect. What matters is creating structures that reduce opportunities for manipulation and make it difficult for financial misconduct to happen in the first place.

So instead of just talking about integrity, we focused on:

– Strengthening internal checks and controls so that financial processes are harder to bypass.

– Reducing human interference by automating key processes.

– Ensuring clear consequences for violations—because rules mean nothing if there’s no accountability.

This way, we’re not just hoping people do the right thing, we’re building a system where the right thing is the easier thing to do.

How do you hope to be remembered after your tenure as the Accountant General of the Federation is concluded?

I want people to say, “She made things work better.” That’s it. Not just reforms for the sake of it, but actual, tangible improvements that made financial management smoother, more efficient, and more predictable. I want to be remembered for setting up structures that outlive me, not just for policies that sound good.

How did you sustain the policy of publishing the details of the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) revenue distribution to the three tiers of government?

We made it part of the system. It’s one thing to introduce a policy, but if it depends on individual discretion, it won’t last. So, we ensured FAAC allocations were published consistently, not as a favour to the public, but as a standard operating procedure. That way, it became an expectation, not an exception.

Tell us about a challenge you went through that shook you and how you overcame it. What lessons did you learn?

There was a time when pushing for compliance with financial reforms felt like an uphill battle. Some people weren’t just indifferent—they actively resisted. At one point, I had to step back and rethink my approach. Instead of just enforcing policies, I spent more time educating stakeholders on why these changes mattered. Once people understood how the reforms benefited them directly, compliance improved.

Lesson learnt? Sometimes, resistance isn’t about opposition, it’s about lack of understanding. If you take the time to explain things well, you get better buy-in.

How were you able to stall the cash collection of revenue by revenue agencies? What did that involve, and what were the results?

Stopping cash collection was one of the biggest wins in revenue management. Before now, revenue agencies collected cash, which made it easier for funds to “disappear.”

We changed that by enforcing direct remittances to government accounts. It wasn’t easy, but once it was implemented, the results were clear:

– Increased government revenue because leakages were blocked.

– More efficiency in fund tracking.

– Less room for financial mismanagement.

Creating Cooperative Societies in ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) of government, how successful was that?

Cooperative societies were introduced as a way to empower civil servants. We realised that many government workers needed access to savings and credit facilities but had limited options. Through these cooperatives, members can pool resources, access soft loans, and improve their financial stability. It’s a practical way to support public servants beyond just their salaries.

Greatest Life Lessons

Change is never easy, but it’s necessary. People will resist at first, but if you stay consistent, they will eventually see the value. Integrity isn’t just about saying the right things—it’s about setting up systems that make the right thing easier to do. Not every battle is worth fighting. Sometimes, it’s smarter to take a step back, strategise, and win the war instead of every argument. Your work should speak for you. At the end of the day, people won’t remember how much you talked about reforms—they’ll remember whether or not things actually improved. Legacy is about sustainability. Finally, whatever impact you make should be able to stand on its own long after you leave.

Pushing for compliance with financial reforms felt like an uphill battle. Some people weren’t just indifferent, they actively resisted