FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISMS AND SERVICE DELIVERY IN KOLOKUMA/OPOKUMA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF BAYELSA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Financial accountability systems and service delivery were examined in the Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State in Nigeria. To accomplish this, five research questions and five hypotheses were used to guide the investigation. For this study, 340 employees from Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area in Bayelsa State were surveyed. A basic random selection method was used to choose 187, which represents 55% of the population. Taro Yamane's sample size calculation was used to determine the study's sample size. For data gathering, a questionnaire was used. Cronbach Alpha was used to assess the instrument's trustworthiness, with a score of 0.99 for financial accountability mechanisms and a score of 0.97 for service provision. When calculating the mean and standard deviation, the data were analysed using frequency counts, percentages, and SPSS version 23. Hypotheses were tested using Person's product-moment correlation coefficient at 0.05 significant levels at the same time High levels of good governance, financial accountability, transparency and budget performance as well as high levels of service delivery were discovered in the study. An important link is found between financial accountability, transparency, budget performance, internally and externally generated revenue and service delivery in the research. This link is also found in the study. It was recommended that in order to maintain high-quality service delivery in local government, the council should beef up the various financial accountability mechanisms.