AN ASSESSMENT OF COST PERFORMANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY-IN-PRIVATIZED-PUBLIC ENTERPRISES-IN-NIGERIA.

Abstract

Despite an impressive level of privatization activity across Africa and the upsurge in search of the operating performance of privatized firms in both develop and developing economies, our empirical knowledge of the privatization program in Africa is limited. The purpose of this study is to appraise the post privatization cost and operating performance as well as accountability of some privatized public enterprises in Nigeria. A survey research design was adopted for the study, sixty five internal audit and thirty five accounting. Totally one hundred was randomly sampled and stratified among the staff of Oando plc Enugu state. Three research questions and hypothesis tested at 0.05 percent level of significance guided the study. Frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviation were employed to answer the research questions while Z-test statistics were used to test the hypothesis. It was found that privatization of unipetrol has led to efficient and improved  cost performance, and proper accountability to share holders. We conclude and recommend among others that effective cost performance and proper accountability to share holders is very necessary in privatized public enterprises and that government should prive the entire necessary enabling environment for the privatized company to carry out their activities without unnecessarily increasing their cost.