Transparency and Accountability in Public Financial Management: A Stewardship Account at Kano State Ministry of Finance, Nigeria

Abstract

This paper aims at accounting for the transparency and accountability demonstrated through the unity and togetherness of the functionaries of the Ministry of Finance Kano State, Nigeria as they collectively discharge the five key responsibilities of the Ministry during a period of 28 months (June 2015 to October 2017) under the humble leadership of the author. The paper is skewed towards practical (as against theoretical) dispensation of effective public finance management at the sub-national level in Nigeria, covering revenue management, expenditure management, debt management, investment management and wealth creation and management. This exposure of transparency and accountability has attracted some encouraging comments from hundreds of concerned analysists and lovers of transparency and accountability from different parts of the world, out of which a select sampled comments have been captured in the paper. The paper also attempts some responses to the seven questions raised by one of the commentators (An International Public Financial Management Expert) in respect of the earlier internet posting made on the subject matter. The paper recommends that research students, scholars and practitioners should conduct further studies on the issues raised in the paper so as to find solutions to the weak nature of the practice of prudence, transparency and accountability in the public sector of developing economies, like Nigeria.