Extent Of Compliance With Government Financial Regulations

Extent Of Compliance With Government Financial Regulations

Abstract

Over time, local government councils have become more demanding and more expectant, but the benefits of democracy and good governance at the local level continue to decline as a result of poor financial management and embezzlement. Due to the aforementioned reasons, local government administrators frequently fall short of their financial commitments to provide social services, pay staff wages, and create infrastructure for both urban and rural residents. The public is now wondering how closely local government officials adhere to government financial restrictions as a result of this. This study aims to ascertain the degree of adherence to governmental financial restrictions in the operation of local governments. The study sought to ascertain, in particular, the degree of adherence to financial estimates regulations in local government administration in Enugu State, the degree of adherence to revenue collection procedures in local government administration in Enugu State, the degree of adherence to expenditure procedures in local government administration in Enugu State, and the degree of adherence to financial statement regulations in local government administration inThe study was directed by four research topics and four null hypotheses. The study was carried out across the 17 Local Government Areas of Enugu State using a descriptive survey research design. 331 finance administrators in local governments in Enugu State made up the study’s population, and no sample was taken or a sampling procedure used because of the population’s manageability. A structured questionnaire called the Compliance with Government Financial Regulations Questionnaire (CGFRQ) was used to collect the data, and it was face-validated by three research experts from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka: two from the Department of Vocational Teacher Education (VTE) and one from the Department of Public Administration and Local Government (PALG). The internal consistency of the instrument was assessed using the Cronbach Alpha reliability method. The outcome produced a significant coefficient of 0.92. With the aid of three research assistants, the researcher administered and collected 331 copies of the questionnaire from the respondents. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) statistics was used to test the four null hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance and at 327 degrees of freedom with the use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. The mean was used to answer the four research questions and standard deviation to assess how closely the responses to the mean adhered to the mean.The study’s conclusions demonstrated that, in the local government administration in Enugu State, financial administrators largely adhere to the rules governing financial estimations, revenue collecting practices, expenditure practices, and financial statement laws. It was suggested, among other things, that the state and federal governments set up a monitoring agency to punish any violating officers who would not follow the estimation process outlined in the Revised Financial Memoranda.

First Chapter Introduction

History of the Study

Any municipal government’s value is decided by the caliber and scope of the services it provides to the general populace. In Nigeria, local governments are the third layer of the administrative structure. They were established to provide social services to the populace and bring the government closer to them (Agba, Ogwu, and Chukwurah, 2013). Local government, according to Agi (2002), is a political entity established by the federal government as a subordinate authority with the aim of allocating or decentralizing political power. According to Akpan (2005), local government is a distinct level of administration that has some semblance of autonomy, with elected individuals serving as officials, particularly in democracies. Therefore, local government is a legally established political subdivision of a country with sub-national control over local issues, including the authority to levy taxes or recruit labor for specific objectives. According to Oguonu (2004), the financial resources that are accessible to each local government and how these resources are used by the local government administrators during the course of administration play a significant role in the success and effectiveness of local government.

Almost all areas of activity involving cooperative action are covered by administration. As a result, the idea of administration has been given many different interpretations.Johnson (2009) claims that administration is involved with setting company policies, coordinating finances, and carrying out normal office chores operationally. These jobs are typically internally focused and reactive rather than proactive. Administrators in local government administration are tasked with overseeing both human resources and financial resources.