AUDITING AS AN AID TO ACCOUNTABILITY ON THE PUBLIC SECTOR

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1            AN OVERVIEW OF ACCOUNTABILITY AND MEANING OF AUDIT

This seems to be a national issue. The increasing incidence of fraud, embezzlement and misappropriation of funds embezzlement accounting officers and chief executive in the public section of Nigeria economy pose pertinent question as to whether auditing play any significant role towards ensuring proper accountability and judicious use of funds.

          Investors and other people concerned therefore deserved to the assured that the resources which they put at the disposal of those accounting officers are efficiently, effectively and economically managed. Since its known that  not all of as are judicious in the management of our own private affairs and much less so, the public affair assigned unto us.

          Accountability has clearly manifested itself as a principle to be pursued if the status quo is meant to be perpetrated. Accountability can be defined in many ways by various users, thus, accountability as contained in Longman dictionary contemporary English is the condition or quality of being able to give an explanation for ones action.

          Accountability is also defined as the rendering of return on stewardship relating to the management of funds and others assets of which individual or institution had been custodians.

          Auditing is regarded as one of the more recently established professional born out of the complexity of modern business world. It becomes relevant so as to discourage men form erring and to expose those who erred when they give account of  who they managed the funds and property entrusted on them.

          This account is usually done by means of financial statement. In order to verify the true and fairness of this reports an independent person an auditor will audit the account what them is an audit?

          Different bodies have define auditing as follows

Earlier bodies defines an audit as an investigation by an auditor into the evidence from which financial statement of an organization have been prepared, in order to ascertain that they present a true and fair view of the summarized transaction for the financial state of the organization at the end of the accounting date, so enabling the auditor to report there on.