Akinwunmi Ambode

Akinwunmi Ambode
File:Ambode Akin D.jpg
Personal details
Born	(1963-06-14) 14 June 1963 Epe, Lagos, Nigeria
Alma mater	University of Lagos Wharton Business School Cranfield School of Management Institute of Management Development INSEAD Harvard Kennedy School of Government

Akinwunmi Ambode (born June 14, 1963) is an accountant, an administrator and a public finance management expert. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Brandsmiths Consulting Limited – a firm that specializes in public sector finance management. Ambode was formerly the Accountant-General of Lagos State, Nigeria, and held many sensitive financial positions in the Lagos State government in a 27-year career in the Lagos State Civil Service. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and a Member of the Nigerian Institute of Management. He is the founder of La Roche Leadership Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on developing the next generation of leaders. He is married to Bolanle Patience Ambode (nee Odukomaiya) and they are blessed with children.

Early life and education

Akinwunmi was born on June 14, 1963 at the Epe General Hospital, Epe, Lagos, as the sixth of ten children. His late father, Festus Akinwale Ambode was a teacher while his mother, Christianah Oluleye Ambode (nee Oresanya) was an entrepreneur who ran a thriving sewing business in her prime. In 1967, when Akin was still four years old, his father moved to the mainland part of Lagos with the family and continued his teaching career until his death in 1981. Akinwunmi Ambode began his education at St. Jude’s Primary School, Ebutte Meta, Lagos, Nigeria in 1969. In 1974, while still in Primary 5, he sat for the National Common Entrance Examination and was admitted to Federal Government College, Warri in the same year. Ambode spent 7 years in Warri, where he completed his Ordinary and Advanced Levels and had the distinction of achieving the second best result in all of West Africa in the Higher School Certificate Examinations in 1981. He was on the school’s Hockey and Cricket teams and was part of the then Bendel State Cricket team while still a student. Ambode proceeded to University of Lagos where he studied Accounting, graduating at the age of 21 in 1984. He completed his mandatory National Youth Service Corps year serving with the Central Bank of Nigeria, Sokoto, Sokoto State, where he started his relationship with the Public Service.

Civil service career

After his NYSC year, Ambode commenced his career at the Lagos State Waste Disposal Board (now LAWMA) as Accountant Grade II. He enrolled for Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) exams and at the same time was awarded a Federal Government Scholarship to pursue a Masters Degree in Accounting at the University of Lagos. By the time he was 24, Ambode had qualified as a Chartered Accountant and had completed his Masters Degree programme in Accounting, specializing in Financial Management. His career was fast-tracked and in 1988, Akinwunmi Ambode was appointed the Assistant Treasurer, Badagry Local Government. In 1991, he was posted to Shomolu Local Government as Auditor. He was later deployed to Alimosho Local Government as Council Treasurer. Ambode was posted back to Shomolu as Council Treasurer and later on to Mushin Local Government as Council Treasurer. He criss-crossed many Local Government Councils in different roles in a 10-year period and got a first-hand experience of the direct impact of governance on the citizenry. In 1998, Ambode was awarded the US Fulbright Scholarship for the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship program, in Boston University, Massachusetts, USA. His Fellowship Year was spent studying Public Leadership with emphasis on Finance and Accounting. During this programme Ambode had professional internships at The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, the Cabinet Office of Administration and Finance (Governor’s Office), City of Boston Treasury Office as well as with the World Bank and IMF.

On his return from the programme, Ambode became acting Auditor General for Local Government. This position was confirmed by the State House of Assembly in 2001.

In January 2005, Ambode was redeployed to mainstream public service as the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Finance. By February 2006, Ambode was given the added responsibility of accountant general for Lagos State, in charge of all the financial activities of the state and directly responsible for over 1400 accountants in the state service. Under his watch, the State Treasury Office (STO) revolutionized the way Lagos State finances were raised, budgeted, managed and planned. In his six years as the Lagos State accountant general, the state's financial performance improved visibly with the budget performing at a remarkable average of 85% annually. Ambode believes that "public financial management is about ensuring that public money is well spent and it is made to stretch as far as possible. It provides leaders and public-sector managers with information to make decisions and to know if they are using resources effectively."

The public finance consultant

After 27 years in the civil service, Ambode voluntarily retired in August 2012. He founded Brandsmiths Consulting Limited to provide Public Finance and Management Consulting services to government at all levels, its parastatals and agencies. Brandsmiths, in collaboration with Price Waterhouse Coopers, has trained government accountants and finance personnel to prepare them for the cut-over to the International Public Sector Accounting System (IPSAS) which is to become effective in 2015.

Social engagement

Ambode is a very active member of the Federal Government College, Warri Old Students Association (FEGOCOWOSA) and is credited with revitalizing the Lagos branch of the Association. Ambode was a two-time chairman of the Lagos State Branch, and, until recently, was the National President of the Association, a position he held for three years. In those three years, he executed key projects in the school in conjunction with the alumni network to improve the educational and living standards of the students.

Community service

His belief in mentoring and passion for passing on leadership skills gave birth to La Roche Leadership Foundation, which he founded in 2012. This is a non-profit organization that has a mandate to develop the educational and leadership skills of young Nigerians, to inculcate in them leadership values as a way of grooming future leaders in all spheres of life. La Roche is presently spearheading an initiative, ‘The Flags Project’, to install Nigerian and Lagos State flags in all government owned schools in Lagos State. The Foundation has also donated tools to technical colleges to support training of artisans.

Publications

Ambode has presented over 30 papers at workshops and seminars locally and internationally covering different areas of management, finance and leadership. To share his knowledge and experiences in Accounting and Public Finance, Ambode wrote a book titled “Public Sector Accounting”. The book dissects and simplifies Government Accounting system from the Local Government level through the various strata to the Federal level and gives insights on how Public Finance can be a tool for development and distribution of wealth. The highlights of his life and his philosophy have been chronicled in a biography, “The Art of Selfless Service”. This book tells the story of his life about giving back to humanity, his community and his mission of selfless service.

Interests

Ambode has a keen interest in sports and entertainment. He has supported a number of sports and entertainment initiatives with the objective of driving positive change in the society and economy. Ambode is a lover of music and has supported a number of young music artistes to fulfill their potentials.

Honors and awards

• Second Best result in entire West Africa in the Higher School Certificate Examinations of 1981.
• Federal Government Scholarship awards for Post-Graduate Studies.
• Hubert Humphrey Fellow (Fulbright Scholarship).
• Recognition for the positive contribution to Education (Lagos State University Alumni Association).
• Most Outstanding Achievement Award by the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees, Lagos State.
• Recognition for Outstanding Excellence by Joint Tax Board (JTB)/FIRS on successful organization of the 1st National Tax Retreat in Nigeria.
• Recognition for Outstanding contribution to Church and Community; St. Michael Church, Epe, Lagos State.

Career highlights

• Organized, in his capacity as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, the first ever National Tax Retreat in Nigeria in conjunction with Joint Tax Board/Federal Inland Revenue Services in 2005.
• Was Chairman of the Technical Committee that produced the Lagos State Economic Empowerment Development Strategy (SEEDS) document.
• Led the audit teams as the Auditor General for Local Government to clear and publish the arrears of statutory audits of 1995 to 2004 within 12 months.
• Led the Implementation Team on the restructured wages and salaries payment system for over 3,000 staff of Lagos State Waste Management Authority.
• On record as the youngest person ever appointed as Auditor General in Lagos State at the age of 37.
• Revolutionized the Lagos State Treasury Office and got the State budget performing at a remarkable 85% annually.
• On record as the first ever Permanent Secretary to retire voluntarily.