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By Rukayat Moisemhe

Prof. Bayo Adaralegbe, Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Ibadan, has urged secretaries and administrators to take advantage of the opportunities for governance professionals in the country.

Adaralegbe made the call on Saturday in Lagos via a communique from a summit of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN).

The theme of the summit is: “Unlocking Opportunities for Governance Professionals”.

He noted that the idea of governance was not originally part of the company secretary’s job description until 1902 when their roles became legally recognised.

He added that in Nigeria, the Company and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) of 1990, Section 298 persisted in describing the duties of the company secretary.

According to him, they include attending company, board and committee meetings, maintaining registers and other records of the company, rendering returns, and carrying out administrative and other secretarial duties.

He also noted that for the first time, CAMA 2020 in Section 335(1), included corporate governance as one of the duties of the company secretary.

He said the expanded job description moved secretaries from purely administrative tasks to active engagement in corporate governance and to their being referred to as governance professionals.

Adaralegbe said the combined influence of sustainable development, corporate governance, corporate sustainability and others led to the need for a new skills set to help with the implementation of these concepts in companies.

“The developments that motivated corporate governance practices that caused the emergence of the governance professional is global.

“However, there is actually a huge deficit in Nigeria that makes their services necessary.

“Nigeria is an oil rich country grappling with environmental devastation in its oil bearing communities,” he said.

Adaralegbe said opportunities for governance professionals also existed in wide-spread human rights abuses, business failure, social inequality, corrupt practices, gender imbalance, and systemic discrimination.

“Therefore the opportunities are huge for governance professional as the area is new, evolving and essential and companies want to be seen to be compliant,” he said.

Mr Oyedele Togunde, Chairman, Membership Committee, ICSAN, said the event was an opportunity for governance professionals to rub minds as they climbed ladders of advancement, innovations and millennium developmental goals.

Togunde said in-depth knowledge about the profession as secretaries and administrators was very crucial, noting that the word secretary was fashioned after secretary bird which symbolises protection of a nation.

He noted that some characteristics of the bird included alertness, ability to prey on dangerous and difficult terrains, vigilance and its fierce protection of its territory.

“If you refer to yourself and does not possess these characteristics, you may not be worthy of being referred to as a chartered secretary and administrator.

“It is strongly advised that as chartered secretaries and administrators and as governance professionals, that you expose and market yourself, embrace artificial intelligence, create value and solve problems,” he said. (NAN)

Edited by Funmilayo Adeyemi/Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

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Tosin Kolade

Agriculture and Environment Desk Editor, Website Content Manager.

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