INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY USAGE, REGULATORY PRESSURE AND ACCRUAL ACCOUNTING COMPLIANCE AMONG FEDERAL MDAs IN KWARA STATE

Abstract

Corruption remains a major challenge in government parastatals, with frequent cases of embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds, leading to inefficiencies and poor decision-making. To address these concerns, this study examines the impact of information technology usage and regulatory pressure on accrual accounting compliance among federal MDAs in Kwara State. A cross-sectional research design was adopted, and data were collected from a sample of 136 management staff selected from a population of 206 using simple random sampling. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. The findings revealed that: (i) information technology usage has a positive and statistically significant effect on accrual accounting compliance (β = 0.650, p < 0.05), and (ii) regulatory pressure also exerts a positive and significant influence on accrual accounting compliance (β = 0.669, p < 0.05). The study concludes that both information technology adoption and regulatory pressure significantly improve accrual accounting compliance among federal MDAs in Kwara State. The study recommends that organizations should engage IT-skilled professionals to train staff on the effective use of accounting technologies for the preparation and presentation of financial statements. Also, relevant agencies should conduct regular inspections and maintain consistent monitoring to ensure compliance with accrual accounting standards.