Accountability in the Public Sector: The Role of Professional Accountants in the Present Democracy in Nigeria

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is to highlight the essential role of professional accountants in enhancing public sector accountability in the present democratic era. The spate of public sector unaccountability scandals in the present democratic era in Nigeria evidently engenders the quest for proper accountability in the public sector. The paper begins with a conceptualization of accountability from the public sector perspective. It also attempts to cursorily highlight the nexus between public sector governance and accountability, before examining the issues currently undermining public sector accountability in Nigeria. It ends by pointing out the ways in which professional accountants can contribute to public sector accountability in Nigeria. In line with the many issues articulated in this paper, it is believed that a sense of value reorientation and strict adherence to professional code of ethics by professional accountants, among others, would reposition professional accountants to effectively contribute to public sector accountability in Nigeria.