Abstract
Even though Nigeria is one of the world's highest producers of petroleum products, the country has remained backward in socio-economic and political development. Consequently, poor infrastructure, unemployment, poverty, insecurity, and public protest have been the country's hallmarks. One of the major factors that accounts for the failure of most African countries, including Nigeria, to attain development has been the absence of good governance and public accountability by elected and appointed officials. One can conclusively submit that without good governance being institutionalized through accountability, development will continue to elude the country. The yearly budgetary allocations to government ministries and parastatals received little or zero implementation, with nobody accounting for the whereabouts of the allocations. At the same time, the refusal of the government to cut down the cost of running the government despite public calls by Nigerians is enough reason to suggest that there is no accountability in the country. Until public officials, elected or appointed, as mandated by law to manage the resources, are made accountable for their actions and inactions, the public outcry and underdevelopment will continue to be our sorry story. This paper, therefore, addresses the nexus between good governance and accountability in public administration in Nigeria. The paper also identifies the challenges faced by the government in budgetary implementation, such as corruption by public officials, lack of funds, and lack of accountability, and recommends that the way out of bad governance is public accountability and proper management of material and financial resources by elected and appointed officials of the government.