Analytical Examination of Public Accountability Mechanisms for State-Owned Enterprises in Nigeria: Legal Gaps and Reform Proposals

State-owned enterprises in Nigeria, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the Nigerian Ports Authority, and the Nigerian Railway Corporation, manage significant public assets and generate substantial revenues, yet their accountability to the National Assembly, Auditor-General, and the public remains structurally inadequate. The conversion of the NNPC from a statutory corporation to a limited liability company under the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 has further complicated the public law dimensions of SOE accountability by introducing private company governance norms into a state enterprise context. This study analytically examines the public accountability mechanisms applicable to state-owned enterprises in Nigeria, evaluating the legal frameworks governing SOE auditing, parliamentary oversight, public disclosure obligations, and anti-corruption compliance. A doctrinal methodology is applied, reviewing the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007 provisions on SOE accountability, the PIA 2021 provisions on NNPC Limited, the Auditor-General's powers under the 1999 Constitution, the Bureau of Public Enterprises Act, and comparative accountability frameworks from Singapore's Temasek model and the OECD Guidelines on Corporate Governance of State-Owned Enterprises. The study evaluates the gap between formal accountability requirements and actual compliance by major SOEs. Available public law literature from Nigeria identifies NNPC's historical non-compliance with auditing obligations and inadequate National Assembly oversight of SOE finances as the most analytically significant accountability gaps. The Institutional Accountability Theory and the OECD SOE Governance Guidelines provide the normative reference. Findings support recommendations for a State Enterprise Accountability Act. Keywords: state-owned enterprises, public accountability, SOE governance, NNPC, Nigeria.