PROFILE CURRENT AUDITOR GENERAL
Kogi State Auditor General, Alhaji Yakubu Okala hailed from a remote village of Ajiyolo Ajikpome in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State.
He attended RCM Primary School AjiyoloOjaji from 1980 to 1985 where he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate; after which he proceeded to Community Secondary School Ajiyolo from 1986 to 1988. He left the school after completing the Junior Secondary School for Government Secondary School (GSS),Dekina where he completed his Senior Secondary School in 1991.
AlhajiYakubu proceeded to the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria from 1995 to 1999 whre he successfully completed his Bachelor Degree Programme in Accounting.
In his quest to advance the course of his education to the peak of his profession Alhaji Yakubu Okala registered during the period of his National Service (NYSC) with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria in 2001 and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2002 after passing all the requisite subjects within a record period of less than two (2) years.
In his determination to advance his career he returned to Ahmadu Bello University Zaria in 2008 for his second degree where he completed his Master Degree in Banking & Finance in the year 2010.
Alhaji Yakubu Okala was awarded the highest level of honor in Accountancy profession in Nigeria a FELLOW of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria – ICAN in 2015 after 11years of post qualification and meritorious services in different sectors of the Nigerian economy.
His work experience commenced during his service to the nation (NYSC) between 2000 and 2001; as an Accountant in charge of Salaries and Variation and subsequently Final Accounts at the Head Quarters of Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Youth Development in Abuja.
Subsequently he joined a firm of Chartered Accountants; Earnest Ike & Co as Audit Senior between the years 2001 to 2002 from where he left to Women Trafficking and Child Labour Eradication Foundation – WOTCLEF a pet project of Her Excellency, Hajiya Amina Titi Atiku Abubakar, the wife of the former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, where he served as the Head of Finance and Administrationbetween 2002 and 2004.
To further his career and professional experience, he joined Prudent Bank in early 2005 shortly before its merger with other banks to become Skye Bank PLC. He served in different capacities in banking operations, and subsequently as Compliance Officer with the bank.
In October 2006, Alhaji Yakubu Okala joined the service of Intercontinental Bank PLC which eventually became Access Bank following their merger in 2010. He served meritoriously as a Residence Internal Controller, which afforded him opportunity to have travelled far and wide across the Six Geopolitical Zones and almost all the States of Nigeria. He voluntarily leftthe service of Access Bank PLC in the year 2012.
Between February to December 2012, He worked asInternal Audit Managerat Microcred Micro Finance Bank, a special purpose social intervention and financial inclusion service bank, sponsored by International Financial Corporation (IFC) and French Development Bank.
In January 2013 he Joined Arewa Cotton Nigeria Limited as the pioneer Head of Internal Audit, where he set the internal audit and control system for the company.
Alhaji Yakubu Okala left Arewa Cotton to Malaria Consortium on June 3, 2013 as the Country Management Accountant where he worked until February 2016. In the course of his assignment in Malaria Consortium, he has participated in compressive implementation of social intervention programmesespecially in the Health Sector, funded by United State Agency for International Development (USAID), United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), World Health Organization (WHO), Melinda and Gate Foundation as well as Unitaids.
Alhaji Yakubu Okala was appointed by the Executive Governor of Kogi State, His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello as Kogi State Auditor General on the 1st of March 2016 where he has worked assiduously to reposition the Office for better performance and service delivery.
Apart from his primary duty, he has worked in different sections of the State including membership of State Economic & Investment Committee, Chairman Staff Screening Appeal Committee, Chairman Pension Reform Committee, Member of State Council on Procurement, Member of Steering Committee of the Nigerian Korean Friendship Institute, among others.
As a philanthropist of the highest order, Alhaji Yakubu Okala havebeing contributing his quarter towards uplifting the standard of leaving of those in dire needs especially in rural communities’ across the State, he has personally intervened in the provision and rehabilitation of boreholes and Schools, support indigent student to be able to pay for their JAMB,WAEC and School Fees for tertiary institution students.
He is known to be a disciplinarian, upright, straight forward and an advocate of the rule of law, and ensuring judicious utilization of meager resources in the most effective and efficient manner to the benefit of the generality of the citizenry.