Corruption and Public Accountability in Local Government Administration ( a Case Study of Sokoto South LGA of Sokoto State)
Chapter One
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The objectives of the study are;
- To ascertain the relationship between corruption and public accountability in Sokoto south local government
- To ascertain the effect of corruption in Sokoto south local government
- To examine the causes of corruption in Sokoto south local government
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
INTRODUCTION
Corruption is defined as “an arrangement that involves an exchange between two parties (the demander and the supplier) which (i) has an influence on the allocation of resources either immediately or in the future; and (ii) involves the use or abuse of public or collective responsibility for private ends” (Macrae 1982, 678; cf Salisu 2006, 3). The International Monetary Fund defined corruption as “abuse of authority or trust for private benefit: and is a temptation indulged in not only by public officials but also by those in positions of trust or authority in private enterprises or non-profit organizations” (Wolfe and Gurgen 2000). Corruption can be very tragic to nations and its pervasiveness can lead to low economic performance of countries, especially those in developing countries like sub-Saharan African nations. It has been documented by analysts that corruption in Nigeria has been a hindrance to its economic development (Iroghama 2011). Nigeria has been ranked very low on the Berlin-based Transparency International of corrupt countries in the world. The rankings were based on weighted average of corruption perception indices. The overall index measures the degree to which public officials and politicians in particular countries are involved in corrupt practices such as accepting bribes, taking illicit payments in public procurement and embezzling public funds (Salisu 2006). The Corruption Perception Index evaluates government corruption on a global scale and the Transparency International (TI) has been evaluating government corruption perception since 1995 and has been monitoring Nigeria’s CPI since 1996. The organization has a mission of stopping corruption and promoting transparency, accountability, and integrity around the world. The organization produces a specific report annually on Nigeria that evaluates the perception of government corruption in the society based on several surveys taken among the public (Stewart 2012). As was earlier mentioned, it is important that the Nigerian government pay close attention to these reports. Public perception on how the government deals with issues of corruption matters because extremist groups like Boko Haram can take advantage of a lack of government interference to gather support for their cause. These groups can portray the government as being inefficient in dealing with such situations. There are different degrees of corruption but this analysis focuses on corruption in the public sector. Bureaucratic corruption occurs ‘in the public administration’ or ‘the implementation end of politics.’ This kind of corruption is known as ‘low level’ and ‘street level’ corruption. This is the type of corruption that citizens encounter in their daily lives, they are confronted by it in places like the hospitals, schools, local licensing offices, police, taxing offices and various other public agencies” (Dike 2002, 2). Bureaucrats have rules and regulations that 9 they are supposed to follow which promotes uniformity and achieves equity. Street-level bureaucrats perform their duties by making decisions based on individual cases brought before them. They are given bureaucratic discretion which is the ability to decide how policies should be implemented but if this power is abused it can lead to corruption (Lipsky 2010). An efficient and neutral public bureaucracy is essential in a democratic system because it leads to an efficient and effective public bureaucracy. The public bureaucracy has a significant role to play in the administration of government, it ensures that the delivery of goods and services are evenly distributed to ensure equity. A corrupt bureaucracy can lead to a decrease in the quality of goods and services being provided by the government. The public bureaucracy in Nigeria is plagued with a number of problems that have hindered its effective role in the country (Okotoni 2001). One problem encountered by the public sectors is the politicization of jobs in the sector. Bureaucrats are supposed to be non-partisan but some positions in the public sector in Nigeria are highly political. Some positions in the public sector during the military era have some political influence, offices like the Permanent Secretary and the Head of Service were given to political military officers. Although there is nothing wrong with civil servants having an interest in politics, it can sometimes undermine the decisions made by their office. Public perception on such a decision will be highly criticized as being unprofessional and unfair because of their political party affiliation (Okotoni 2001). Another problem facing the public sector is the widespread level of corruption in the country. Nigeria is a developing country and its citizens lack some of the basic necessities of life. Therefore, when individuals find themselves in government, they try to embezzle enough money to provide for their families and future generations. In view of this, it is therefore imperative that, to adequately address the problem of corruption, the country need to have some economic development to ensure that it is providing the right services to its citizens. The reason why most public officials who embezzle money commit such offence is their need to survive and provide for their families. In other to reduce corruption, the Nigerian government needs to better cater to the needs of its employees so that they do not resort to corrupt means to provide for their families and future generation. Also, introducing a public policy that seriously punishes people caught in the act can serve as a deterrent to public servants, making corrupt acts both risky and unattractive (Ameh 2000). The effects of corruption on a nation’s socio-political and economic development are countless. Corruption negatively affects economic growth and reduces the level of investment in the country. Foreign and domestic businesses are reluctant to invest in a nation where public agencies are not functioning effectively and a chance for their investments to be misused. Consequently, poverty and income inequalities are tied to corruption.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research design
The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work the choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as the study corruption and public accountability in local government administration
Sources of data collection
Data were collected from two main sources namely:
(i)Primary source and
(ii)Secondary source
Primary source:
These are materials of statistical investigation which were collected by the research for a particular purpose. They can be obtained through a survey, observation questionnaire or as experiment; the researcher has adopted the questionnaire method for this study.
Secondary source:
These are data from textbook Journal handset etc. they arise as byproducts of the same other purposes. Example administration, various other unpublished works and write ups were also used.
Population of the study
Population of a study is a group of persons or aggregate items, things the researcher is interested in getting information on corruption and public accountability in local government administration. 200 staff of Sokoto south LGA, Sokoto state was selected randomly by the researcher as the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION ANALYSIS INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Introduction
Efforts will be made at this stage to present, analyze and interpret the data collected during the field survey. This presentation will be based on the responses from the completed questionnaires. The result of this exercise will be summarized in tabular forms for easy references and analysis. It will also show answers to questions relating to the research questions for this research study. The researcher employed simple percentage in the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was on corruption and public accountability in local government administration. In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of corruption and public accountability in local government administration
Summary
This study was on corruption and public accountability in local government administration. Three objectives were raised which included: To ascertain the relationship between corruption and public accountability in Sokoto south local government, to ascertain the effect of corruption in Sokoto south local government, to examine the causes of corruption in Sokoto south local government. In line with these objectives, two research hypotheses were formulated and two null hypotheses were posited. The total population for the study is 200 staff of Sokoto south local government of Sokoto state. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 133 respondents made directors, administrative staffs, senior staffs and junior staffs were used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies
Conclusion
The solutions proffered to stem the menace of corruption and lack of accountability in the local government, and the copious reprimands and sanctions contained in relevant local government service guidelines have not altered the propensity of corruption and lack of accountability in the system. The researchers therefore advocate robust strengthening of the capacities of all the anti-graft agencies, such as Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to fight corruption at the local government level. Also the mindsets of all the key operators of the system political office holders and career officials should be reoriented towards imbibing good morality, virtues and ethical conducts in the operation of the local government affairs. They should be prevailed upon to know that public office is a public trust. That as stewards, their primary consideration is to render services to the generality of the people at the grassroot
Recommendation
- The higher tiers of government (Federal and State), should provide the enabling legislations, policies, and reforms that should put transparency and accountability at the center piece of governance at the local government level.
- The existing statutes and administrative guidelines that govern local government administration in Nigeria should be thoroughly reviewed and revegetated. This should be with respect to prescribing certain financial and organizational arrangement of local government and the procedures for the collection and accounting for revenue control and expenditure.
- The local government should be prevailed upon to adopt the provisions of both the Fiscal Responsibility law (2007) and Public Procurement law (2007) of their respective state governments.
- The local government officials, both political and career should be held liable or accountable for any breach of existing government’s rules and regulations in the conduct of the affairs of their local governments. Instruments or mechanisms should be put in place to reprimand any government official that flouts the laid down rules and regulations as contained in the Financial Memoranda (FAA) especially those relating to expenditure control as well as on contract, purchases, payments, and personal advances procedures, etc.
References
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- Answorth, R. & Sketcher, C. (2005) “Accountability: A Progress summary from the Meta-Evaluation of the Local Government Modernization Agenda”
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