Performance Auditing and Public Sector Accountability in Nigeria: The Roles of Supreme Audits Institutions (SAIs)

In recent times, at least in the public domain in Nigeria, the rate of corruption, looting, embezzlement of public funds by elected and other public officials have assumed alarming dimensions. The ugly phenomena and negative consequences on the collective well-being of the Nigerian citizenry is worrisome as the government seems not to have solutions and political will to deal with the situations which are partly a creation of bad governance over the years,The lack of accountability in the Nigerian public sector which has submerged the country in the mire of corruption is due to the weak and lack of independence of the supreme audit institutions, compromise by the public accounts committee in the legislature in their oversight functions and the corrupt legal system.The paper advocates performance auditing which comprises audit of economy, efficiency and effectiveness or value for money audit, independence of the supreme audit institutions based on Lima and Mexico declarations to foster public sector accountability in Nigeria.