Administrators’ Oversight Mechanisms and Financial Accountability in Rivers State-Owned Universities

Ibifuro Gloria Ebibokefie; Kenneth Amadi PhD; Gladys E. Aleru PhD

doi:10.56201/wjimt.v10.no5.2026.pg205.213

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Administrators’ Oversight Mechanisms and Financial Accountability in Rivers State-Owned Universities

Ibifuro Gloria Ebibokefie, Kenneth Amadi PhD, Gladys E. Aleru PhD

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between three dimensions of administrators’ oversight mechanisms regulatory compliance practice, governing council supervision, and external audit requirement and financial accountability in Rivers State-owned universities. A correlational research design was adopted. The population comprised 66 management staff from Rivers State University and Ignatius Ajuru University of Education , and total population sampling was employed. Of the 66 questionnaires administered, 55 were successfully retrieved and used for data analysis, representing an 83% retrieval rate. Two researcher-designed instruments the Administrators’ Oversight Mechanisms Questionnaire and the Financial Accountability Questionnaire were validated by three experts in the Faculty of Education, Rivers State University, and yielded Cronbach alpha reliability coefficients of 0.82, 0.80, and 0.84 for the three sub-scales respectively, and 0.86 for the FAQ. Data were analysed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation , and hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance using t-test transformation of r-values. Findings revealed a moderate positive relationship between regulatory compliance practice and financial accountability (r = .589), and high positive relationships between governing council supervision (r = .624) and external audit requirement (r = .658) with financial accountability. All three null hypotheses were rejected at the 0.05 level of significance. The study concluded that all three oversight mechanism dimensions significantly predict financial accountability outcomes in Rivers State-owned universities. It was recommended that university administrators enforce comprehensive regulatory compliance systems, empower governing councils to exercise active financial oversight, and commission regular independent external audits to strengthen financial accountability.

Keywords

oversight mechanismsfinancial accountabilityregulatory compliancegoverning council supervisionexternal audit requirementRivers State universities

References

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Administrators’ Oversight Mechanisms and Financial Accountability in Rivers State-Owned Universities

Abstract

Keywords

References

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