Corporate Governance and Financial Performance of Listed Firms in Nigeria

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of corporate governance practices on the financial performance of listed companies in Nigeria. The study encompassed three industries: manufacturing, finance, and oil and gas, spanning the years 2010 to 2020. Employing a content analysis approach, data were collected from corporate websites and the Securities and Exchange Commission website. A total of 33 businesses were selected for the study. The study's analysis revealed that a majority of the corporations disclosed the majority of their corporate governance policies. Notably, the banking industry exhibited the highest level of corporate governance disclosure compared to other sectors. This implies that a company's decision to publish its corporate governance information online in Nigeria might be influenced by the regulatory environment of the sector. However, intriguingly, the research did not establish a correlation between a company's corporate governance score and its financial performance. Nevertheless, there was notable variation in the extent of corporate governance reporting across different sectors. In light of these findings, the report recommends that the Securities and Exchange Commission's code of best practices should be made obligatory for all industries in Nigeria. Furthermore, the establishment of a compliance team is advised to ensure that businesses across all sectors in Nigeria adhere to the regulatory mandates outlined in the code of corporate governance.