ACCOUNTABILITY AND CORRUPTION IN PUBLIC ORGANIZATION (A CASE STUDY OF ISIALA MBANO L.G.A. IMO STATE)

The issue of corruption and accountability has been a major bone of contention in Nigeria local government council and the citizenry at large. The need for financial products, fidelity and accountability in our local government council can never be over estimated. However, from the basis of this research work, the project is presented in five chapter, most of chapters consist of x-rayed findings, conclusions and finally draw conclusion.

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Man by nature is subject to supervision both in his private and public affairs. It is then therefore, imperative that man’s actions or activities be subject to clear security. This idea in modern society has to public accountability.
Public accountability most often is associated with financial and monetary dealings. But it is beyond financial and monetary dealings either. It can equally mean reporting or responsible to a higher authority or person in a public services.
This project, intends to make a thorough evaluation of both financial and compliance to rules and regulations guiding operations of different departments local government of Isiala Mbano as a case study.
In this work all the administrative set-up and its financial transactions shall be considered with the view to determining the level of its accountability and administrative efficiency. This study became imperative due to the state public embezzlement often witnessed sectors of Nigeria economy.
In its democratic political aspect, decentralization as currently conceived and increasingly practiced in the international development community has two principal components: participation and accountability. Participation is chiefly concerned with increasing the role of citizens in choosing their local leaders and in telling those leaders what to do in other words, providing inputs in local governance accountability constitute the other side of the process. It is the degree to which local government have to explain or justify what they have done or failed to do. Improve information about local needs and preferences is one of the theoretical advantages of decentralization, but there is no gurantee that leaders will actually act on these preferences unless the feel some sort of accountability to citizens. Local elections are the most common and powerful form of accountability, but other mechanisms such as citizen councils can have limited influence.

Accountability can be seen as the validation of the participation, in that the test of whether attempt to increase participation prove successful is the extent to which people can use participation to hold a local government responsible for its actions.
Certain demographic factors may exist within a municipality that can lead to or encourage corruption within a local government. Demographic factor pertain to demography which is the study of human population statics. Changes, and trends including personal characteristics of human like population size, migration, age, gender, social class, level of education, race, religion, occupation, and family status, because there are many factors that can lead to corruption in local government. It is hard to study corruption patterns empirically, but recently. Improved research strategies and information sources have made such studies better.
There are several types of corruption that occur in local government. Some are more common than other and some are more prevalent to local governments than to larger segments of government. Local government may be more susceptible to corruption because interaction between private individuals and officials happen at greater levels of intimacy and with more frequency at more decentralize level. Forms of corruption pertaining to money like bribery, extortion, embezzlement, and graft are found in local systems. Other forms of political corruption are nepotism and patronage system. One historical example was the black Horse Calvary a group of New York state legislators accused of blackmailing corporations.

Low economic development has been found to be an encouraging factor for political corruption. Economic practices like dependence on raw materials industries and drug trade are characteristic of poor cities and areas with increased amounts of corruption. Economic dependence on certain industries will also lead to less stable government and less amount of money available to fund governments. Fragile economics lead to increase level of poverty and less opportunities to get out of poverty. Poverty is a known factor that encourages corruption in local governments. Please with failing economies and poverty sometimes get loans of start aid programs to support the local economy and the people, local officials are more likely to get lower ways which is seen as another factors that leads to corruption officials who get lower wages which are not enough to provide for their necessities, they will many time’s become corrupt and try something like embezzling money that advantage of current opportunities as a public figure of authority. On the other hand. Some researchers argue that the more money a local government has to spend, the more tendency it will have to do so inefficiently which can lead to suspicious of corruption. Overall, poorer municipalities are more often perceived to have corrupt government than rich ones.
According to Ndoh and Emezi (1997) our local government originate from indirect rule system introduced by British colonial government it was carried out in the north through the recognized National authority which has the paramount rule of naive authority.
Between 1960 modernized local government were introduced in place of indirect rule system through adoption of many laws. This allowed democratic local civil system. However, there was a general nationwide local government reform which Maxwell a turning point in the history and pattern of local govern throughout the country the aims and objectives of the reforms as outlined in the guidelines for local governments reform. Were as follows:
To make approximate service and development activities responsible to the local wishes and initiaties by developing them to local representative bodies.
To facilitate the exercise of democratic self governance close to the local level o four society and to encourage uncreative and leadership.
To provide a two way channel of communicative between local communities and government both federal and state.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Local government as we know was created with the primary aim of bringing government closer to the people as well as mobalizing and encouraging grassroots development and participation. Based on the above Frantic efforts has been made by government of local government yet there are problems that is why Ozor (2005:55) opined that the mismanagement of local government funds sometimes with the knowledge of government functionaries have been retiring in various trununal of equity throughout the country.
It is a sorry sight that never a day passes-by in Nigeria without a report on radio, newspaper, magazine, television or from government department that one office, two or group of people holding public office have embezzled. Neglected or intentionally abbicates from their duties. The result is often discouraging for instance, a former minister of finance, chief Anthony Ani under late General Abacha’s regime was alleged to have embezzled about 8.5 million.

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
With reference to the above problem, the study is specifically centered at the following:

1. To examine the significance of accountability in the local government council.
2. To examine the nature and purpose of the 1970 reform which has national form of nature.
3. To critically examine some of the corrupt practices. Factors that necessitate them, their effects and possible way towards the enhancement of national development.
4. To make recommendations that would help ensure proficiency and accountability as well as reducing corruption in local government council.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What are the nature and purpose of the 1970 reform?
2. Is accountability significant in the local government council?
3. To what extent does corrupt practices affect the enhancement of national development?
4. How can local government council reduce corruption and thereby promote accountability proficiency?

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Local government has the primary function of implementation of the wishers, programme, policies, objectives, ideas and aspirations of the national government in the local level Okoli (2006:6) the rural people expect employment of youth from government in other to ameliorate rural-urban migration. Politicians should bear in mind that the quality of leadership in the determinant of rural development level. The management of local government should not betray the transit reposed on them, they should say no to corruption.
Finally, the study will be of immense help to checkmate the problem of lack of accountability and correspond in local government system.

1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This research work is limited to Isiala Mbano local government due to how large it will be to include other local government that is why Isiala Mbano local government is chosen as to scope of the study.

1.7 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

Most problem of research are lack of fund made nearly that entire research work and cost of materials and transportation to left nothing to write home about the time frame for the research was another problem that the researcher encountered, however, despite the problems short-listed above, the researchers defined all these constraints in other to produce a research with findings which is presented and useful to the development of our society.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

According to Oxford advanced learners Dictionary accountability: means responsible for our decisions or actions and expected to explain them when required of
CORRUPTION: means dishonest or illegal behaviour especially of people in authority.
PUBLIC: Connected with ordinary people in society general.
ORGANIZATION: A group of people who form a business club, etc together in order to achieve a particular aim.