The auditor-general for local governments’ and accountability in local government administration in rivers state

Abstract

Nigeria is considered as a frantically corrupt country because of the absence of transparency and accountability in governance. The cry for accountability in both public and private sectors in the country has become ubiquitous. Accountability is a key factor of entrenching good governance. For the Local Government System, the situation is terrifying. This underscores the essence of this study which focuses on the role played by the Auditor-General for Local Governments’ (AGLG) in entrenching accountability in the Local Government system in Rivers State from 2007 – 2018. The study aims at interrogating the following: (i) if the AGLG enjoy independence in executing his functions in Rivers State; (ii) the degree to which the AGLG could contribute to accountability in local government administration in Rivers State; and (iii) strategic challenges that hinders the AGLG from enhancing accountability in local government administration in Rivers State. The theoretical framework of analysis adopted for this study is functional theory. The study revealed amongst others that the AGLG does not enjoy independence in the execution of his functions and recommends that there should be proper funding of the office of AGLG amongst others as a panacea for attainment of fiscal discipline in the Local Government Councils in Rivers State.