Ethical Leadership and Accountability in the Nigerian Public Service: Evidence from Enugu State

This study examined ethical leadership and accountability inthe Nigerian public service, evidence Enugu State.. Descriptivesurvey design was adopted, targeting senior and middle-level civilservants across selected ministries, departments, and agencies. Astructured questionnaire was administered to 337 respondents, anddata were analyzed using mean scores, standard deviation, andinferential statistics (Regression Analysis) The findings revealed asignificant positive relationship between ethical leadership andthe effectiveness of accountability mechanisms, demonstratingthat leaders who model integrity, transparency, and fairnessfoster compliance with regulations and enhance institutionaloversight. Ethical leadership was found to strongly influenceprocurement compliance, audit enforcement, and adherence tocodes of conduct, thereby strengthening internal controlsystems. However, challenges such as political interference,patronage, limited institutional capacity, inconsistentenforcement of rules, and pervasive corruption were identifiedas constraints that reduce the effectiveness of ethicalleadership.The study recommends institutionalizing ethicalleadership training, enforcing codes of conduct consistently,enhancing oversight capacities, and addressing systemicbarriers to promote accountability. These findings contribute tothe understanding of how ethical leadership can serve as acatalyst for effective governance and institutional integrity inthe Nigerian public service