Transparency and Accountability Concerns in the Nigerian Public Sector

For many years, accountability and transparency have been of significant concern due to financial statement misstatements, fraud, and corruption in the public sector. Despite government policies and legislative acts aimed at addressing these issues, according to (Ezeajughu, 2021) such as the establishment of the Nigerian Constitution in 1999 and subsequent amendments, including the Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Unit (BMPIU), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Act 2002, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences (ICPC) Act (2000), the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act (1995), and the Financial Malpractices in Banks Act (1994), headlines still highlight ongoing corruption in the public service, thereby raising concerns on the twin issues of accountability and transparency in the Nigerian public service. It is in this regard that this paper examined the concerns of the Nigerian public regarding accountability and transparency. Using secondary data from Transparency International (TI), this paper argued that the level of transparency and accountability in the Nigerian public sector continues to wane, accentuating the rising level of corruption and corruptive tendencies in the Nigerian public sector. To reverse this trend, it is recommended, amongst other things, that the judicial system, framework, and architecture be rejigged and radially reformed through the creation of specialized courts that will speedily dispense justice.