Evaluation Of Internal Control System Of Nepa

INTRODUCTION
Background of Study
The statement on study auditing standards defined internal control as being not only internal check and internal audit but the whole system of controls, financial or otherwise, establishment by management in order to secure, as far as possible, the accuracy and reliability of the records run the business in an orderly manner and safeguard the company’s assets its objective being the prevention or early detection of fraud and errors.
One of the major factor believed to restrict efficient performance of most Nigeria public sector enterprise is un-serious approach towards accountability. There is a great need to establish internal checks and auditing system as well as defining a control of financial and management procedure so as to carry on the operations of the enterprise in a way as to guard against the possibility of not only fraudulent practices and financial recklessness but also enhance performance and public confidence the enterprises.
National electric power Authority (NEPA) is an important public enterprise in Nigeria established by decree No.24 of 1st April 1972, with the amalgamation of Electricity corporation of Nigeria (ECN) and Nigeria dams Authority (NDA). NEPA was empowered to maintain an efficient, co-ordinates and economic system of electricity supply to all the nooks and cranny of the nation.
It’s operations especially it’s financial management and control system has been subject of intense debate. This is as a result some unsatisfactory performance as evidenced by near darkness all the time.
There is need to look at the internal control system in NEPA and it’s operational performances in the area of efficiency

1.2 Statement of problem
The national electric power, authority (NEPA) has the statutory function of catering for the electricity needs of the nation Nigeria. But the power supply has some factor contributing to power interruption. This interruption has terminology, which is termed “planned and unplanned outages”. For the planned outages, the authority takes light off to do repair and maintenance work to avoid a major breakdown.
Before this job is embarked upon, customers are normally informed through the media, both princ and electronic. Telling them about the interruption, and length of time involved.
The unplanned outages come up due to faults there are kind of “accidents” could be tripping of a protective device to save the equipment due to overloading or fault in the equipment or an “unholy” intervention in the network like canalization erosion effecting the transmission towers, bush burning or other illegal activities (tapping power illegally) thus over-loading the stem, which could trigger off the tripping of protective devices thereby causing interruption of supply. Over-loading no doubt impacts on the quality of service.
NEPA are funded with public fund example taxpayer generate money to enable it keep a float and provide for certain essential materials for effective operation.
NEPA being a public owned company which supposed to be profit-oriented, should be examined on.
1. Appraise and evaluate the internal control system existing in it .
2. Examine and comment on the extent at which its operations especially cash bank operations, fixed assets stores, sales activity and pay rolls are being safeguard.
3. Proper evaluation of the internal control system will show among other things whether
Statutory allocations from the federal government to NEPA, as well as money generated by NEPA internally is properly utilized and documented or whether they were lost in the system level due to inadequate control
ii. Whether controls are enough to give feedback to management on how funds have been expended.
iii. If there are weaknesses in the internal control system and how to play the loopholes if any
iv. Whether internal auditors carry our proper review and auditing of records of NEPA

1.3 The purpose of the study
The objective of internal control is to achieve the completeness, accuracy and validity of recording of the transaction of the organization. To this end, the essence of proper and adequate internal accounting control in an enterprise cannot be over looked. Choosing NEPA Enugu district as the study sample, the objective of this study is to find out whether:
a. Accounting and financial records are properly designed and effectively operated in NEPA Enugu district.
b. The internal control system NEPA district is being evaluated
c. The examination and report on the extent at which its assets especially cash debts and receivable are being safeguarded vis-avis this definition of internal control stated above.
d. The effective segregation of the accounting duties of company personnel
e. To report to the management of any lapse or break in existing, which may distort the financial statement
f. To recommend a procedure to overcome such lapses

1.4 Significance of the study
The significance lies in the fundamental function of the internal control system the function of establishing internal checks and auditing system aimed at safeguarding it against the possibility of fraud and financial recklessness. It is also aimed at enhancing performance and public confidence in the enterprise service, it links the workers and management through its operations and gears them to greater heights.
This study is strongly believed to be beneficial and meaningful to the management of NEPA Enugu district, as well as other profit-oriented and partly commercialized federal parastals like NITEL NIPOST and Nigerian port Authority where lock of or inadequate financial checks administrative and fiscal control has been the order of their operations.

1.5 Research question/Hypothesis
The research is basically designed to uncover whether “internal control system in NEPA Enugu district is efficient enough to give adequate feed-lack to management for proper accountability”.
The following hypothesis will be tested in this study.
Ho: System of internal control exists but it is inadequate.
Hi: System of internal control does not exist
Ho: Feedback system exists and is functioning
Hi: No functional feedback system exists in NEPA Enugu district.

1.6 Scope of the study/limitation
The scope of the work will be to study the extent that internal control system is being practiced by NEPA particularly. Enugu district. This research is so designed to cover some important areas in a typical federal parastals NEPA. This controls which includes independent checks management on records and assets.
Those controls which are relevant and are properly covered in this work, include the following:
Energy sales/cash collection
Petty cash
Payroll
Capital contribution/excess service charge
Bank reconciliation
Meter reading and bills distribution

LIMITATIONS
These are the constraints or problems, which I encountered in the process of collecting data for this research topic.
The limitation problems include:
i. Finance: during this research I encountered a lot of financial problem trying to collecting data from various places including various libraries and NEPA district office.
ii. Time factor; time give to me to carrying out this research was too short
iii. Finally it was not easy for me to convince the management of various offices that I visited that information to be collected from them will be for academic consumption on easy for me to convince the management of various offices that I visited that information to be collected from them will be for academic consumption only but at last they confide in me.
Though I am happy that after all these constraint problems I was able to gather as much data as possible for my research.