Professional Ethics as a Catalyst for Efficiency and Curtailing Corruption in the Nigerian Public Sector Finance Management

The collapse of morality and ethics for corruption, power and self-aggrandizement calls to question the action of public sector accountants who are in positions of authority. A four point Likert scale questionnaire was administered to one hundred accountants and auditors in the employ of the Cross River State public service to ascertain professional ethics as a catalyst for curtailing corruption and enhancing efficiency in the public service finance sector. A sixty two percent response rate was achieved and the respondents unanimously agreed that the professional bodies have the capacity to enforce discipline among its members and the possession of professional qualification impacts positively on the ethical behaviour of its members. The study also revealed that public service bureaucracy does not encourage professionalism in the public service accounting and finance department rather mediocrity. The study revealed that although accountants do not for lack of knowledge deliberately flout financial regulations to authorise release of funds, their actions are premeditated by corruption and pecuniary interest, lack of political will, intimidation and lack of enforcement of laws that should protect the accountant for standing by the law. The study recommends promulgation of laws that enhance the position of the accountant, the modelling of organisational structure of MDAs in line with that of Nigerian Universities, active involvement of the leadership, judicial reforms to enhance quick dispensation of justices and the review of the existing laws to make infractions less attractive.