The Nexus of Budgetary Control Systems and Financial Accountability in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Ondo State, Nigeria

This study investigates the effect of budgetary control systems on the financial accountability in Ondo State's Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). A structured, close-ended questionnaire collected primary data from the targeted budget officers. Out of 163 budget officers in Ondo State MDAs at the time of the study, 151 were purposively selected, and all returned the completed questionnaires. The correlation analysis tested the hypothesis regarding the effect of the examined budgeting and budgetary control systems on financial accountability in the public sector. The analysis revealed a positive and statistically significant correlation coefficient of 87.65% (Cr = 0.8765; p-value = 0.001) at the 0.05 level. This indicates that improvements in budgeting and budgetary control systems will likely enhance financial accountability in Ondo State's public sector. The study concludes that prioritizing budget planning is essential to achieving financial accountability in Ondo State MDAs. It recommends that increased adherence to personnel budget ceilings should be given prompt attention to improve financial accountability in the state further