IKPONMWOSA ISOKPAN

The study examined the impact of accountability mechanisms on procurement intheEdo State Civil Service. The objectives were to identify the existing accountabilitymechanics in the procurement of Edo State civil service. To find out howtheseaccountability mechanisms are implemented within the public procurement systeminEdo State civil service to also identify the challenges that hinder effective accountability in procurement practices in Edo State civil service. The study employeda descriptive research design, utilizing both primary and secondary data. The population of study of this research was made up of staf s of the Edo State secretariat, Benin city. The sample size of this study was 100 respondents. Questionnaires weredistributed among selected civil servants, and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings reveal that; while accountability mechanisms exist, theiref ectiveness is often hindered by weak enforcement, political interference, and poor monitoring systems. The study recommends strengthening institutional frameworks, promoting e-procurement, and enhancing transparency to improve procurement
outcomes in the Edo State Civil Service

This study examined the dawn of local government autonomy in Nigeria: an examination of feasibility. Thus, this study investigated the constitutional and legal frameworks for local government autonomy, assess the benefits and challenges of implementing autonomy and explore stakeholder roles in facilitating autonomy. The participants in this study were 120 residents of Ovia north east local government selected through the use of systematic sampling technique. Survey design through structured questionnaire were used to extract relevant data for the study. The hypotheses of the study were tested using chi-square (x 2) statistical tool. The study discovered that stakeholders has roles to play in actualizing local government autonomy, such roles includes ensuring local governments to get their allocations directly from the federal government, serving as watch dog making sure allocated funds are prudently managed and made to benefit people at the
grassroots, involving anti-graft agencies to monitor local government spending
since no immunity to local government chairmen and agitating for the amendments of the constitution to return the conduct of council polls to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as it currently conducted by State Electoral Commissions (SIECs). The study recommended that in supporting the pronouncement by the Supreme Court of Nigeria of ensuring democratic governance at the local government level in the 36 states of the federation, there should equally be implementation of Fiscal esponsibility Act 2007 across all the States of the Federation. This legislation compels states to conduct periodic elections, thereby ensuring that there exist democratically elected local
government officials as against the usual practice where state governors constitute
Caretaker Committees or Transition Councils to superintend over local government councils. The significance of this is that it will help in the consolidation of the nation’s democracy, especially at the grass root level and engender both financial and political accountability. Apart from this, it will equally ensure international good practice that will result in greater efficiency in the allocation and management of public expenditure, revenue collection, debt control and transparency in fiscal matters.

The study examined the impact of accountability mechanisms on procurement intheEdo State Civil Service. The objectives were to identify the existing accountabilitymechanics in the procurement of Edo State civil service. To find out howtheseaccountability mechanisms are implemented within the public procurement systeminEdo State civil service to also identify the challenges that hinder ef ectiveaccountability in procurement practices in Edo State civil service. The study employeda descriptive research design, utilizing both primary and secondary data. Thepopulation of study of this research was made up of staf s of the Edo State secretariat, Benin city. The sample size of this study was 100 respondents. Questionnaires weredistributed among selected civil servants, and data were analyzed using descriptivestatistics. The findings reveal that; while accountability mechanisms exist, theiref ectiveness is often hindered by weak enforcement, political interference, andpoormonitoring systems. The study recommends strengthening institutional frameworks, promoting e-procurement, and enhancing transparency to improve procurement
outcomes in the Edo State Civil Service.

This study examined the challenges of revenue generation and rural development in Nigeria: A case study of Ovia North-East LGA, Edo State. The data collected were presented in a tabular form with focus on the major research questions which enabled the researcher determine the results. The findings from the study revealed that Ovia North-East LGA raises loans for incurring capital development programme that are within their statutory functions, lack of capacity of Ovia North-East LGA to fulfil the aspiration of their communities are caused by lack of adequate resources, the role of the state governors in the affairs of Ovia North-East LGA results in the ineffective implementation of its developmental programmes, bad local government politics affects the implementation of development programmes in Ovia North-East LGA, Ovia North- East LGA has facilitated rapid development at the grass-root. The study recommended that efforts should be enhanced by the local government towards generation of internal revenue so as to meet the yearnings and aspiration of the people at grassroot level; local government should encourage the collection of IGR through the application of modern equipment’s and electronics means; local government should also find a means of closing up the loopholes and discourage frauds among the revenue collectors and the tax payers; local government should embark on the establishment of some mini-sized industries that will provide employment opportunities to the people. The participation in agriculture will encourage the inhabitants of local governments to improve their standard of living on one hand, and to improve the revenue base of local governments on the other hand. The study concluded that local government which is mostly endowed with natural resources should be allowed to persuade foreign investors for the much desired development at the local level, and any restructuring of this tier of government must as a necessity be done in concert with the generality of the people, while every autonomous community in Nigeria should constitute a level of governance, as this will facilitate rapid development of Nigeria and bring about dividends of democracy nearer to the people. Therefore, the effective management of generated revenue is also a fundamental issue in the provision of services to the local populace, so revenue generation is not an end in itself in determining service provision, but proper utilisation is also a great determinant