DEPARMENT OF ACCOUNTING

This study investigates the relationship between corporate governance mechanisms and circular economy disclosure level (CEDL) among listed manufacturing firms in Nigeria, against the backdrop of increasing global emphasis on sustainability, resource efficiency, and environmental accountability. Despite the growing importance of circular economy practices, corporate disclosure in this domain remains largely voluntary, inconsistent, and underdeveloped in emerging economies, raising concerns about transparency and accountability. This study addresses this gap by examining whether corporate governance mechanisms serve as effective drivers of circular economy disclosure within the Nigerian institutional context. The study adopts an ex post facto research design and utilizes panel data from forty-one (41) manufacturing firms listed on the Nigerian Exchange Group over a seven-year period (2018–2024). Circular economy disclosure is measured using a 18-item disclosure index adapted from established literature, while corporate governance variables include board size, board gender diversity, board independence, board tenure, board diligence, and the presence of a CSR committee, with firm size included as a control variable. Data were sourced from annual reports and analyzed using fixed effects panel least squares regression, with robust standard errors applied to address heteroskedasticity and serial correlation. The findings revealed that corporate governance mechanisms exert differential effects on circular economy disclosure. Specifically, board gender diversity has a positive and statistically significant influence on CED, indicating that firms with higher female representation on their boards demonstrate greater transparency in circular economy reporting. In contrast, board size exhibits a negative but weakly significant relationship, suggesting that larger boards may hinder effective CED-oriented decision-making. However, board independence, board tenure, board diligence, and the presence of a CSR committee are found to have no significant impact on CED, implying that these governance mechanisms may be largely symbolic rather than substantive within the Nigerian context. Firm size, however, shows a strong positive and significant relationship with CED. The study concludes that effective circular economy disclosure in Nigeria is less dependent on formal governance structures and more influenced by board composition and organizational capacity. It contributes to the literature by providing context-specific empirical evidence from an emerging economy, extending corporate governance and sustainability disclosure research into the circular economy domain. The findings have important implications for policymakers, regulators, and corporate stakeholders, particularly in designing governance frameworks that promote substantive, rather than symbolic, sustainability disclosure practices.

This study examines the influence of corporate governance practices on green reporting among listed manufacturing firms in Nigeria, with a focus on the industrial goods firms listed on the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX). Specifically, the study focused on how board independence, board financial expertise, audit committee meetings, and board gender diversity affects green reporting by the sampled firms. The study adopted a longitudinal research design and covered a ten-year period from 2015 to 2024. Census sampling was employed, covering all thirteen (13) industrial goods firms listed on the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX). The secondary panel data were obtained from the annual reports of the sampled companies. After expunging the firm-years with incomplete information, a final panel dataset used for the analysis amounted to 119 firm-year observations. The unbalanced panel data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and binary logistic regression. The results indicated that board independence has a small and negative effect on green reporting. On the other hand, board financial expertise and meetings of the audit committee have a positive and important effect on green reporting. The study also found that board gender diversity has a positive but insignificant effect on green reporting. Based on these findings, the study recommends that listed manufacturing firms strengthen board competence through the inclusion of financially knowledgeable directors and encourage more active audit committee engagement in sustainability-related matters. The study also recommends the establishment of sustainability-focused governance structures to enhance green reporting practices and corporate accountability.

The objective of the study is to examine determinants of audit risk. In a bid to achieve the objectives of this study, the annual reports of the financial institutions in the Nigerian Exchange Group are stated in the period of 2019 to 2024. The method used in analyzing the data gathered for the study was the Panel least square regression technique. The findings provided that audit firm size is significantly related to audit risk in Nigeria. The study also revealed that audit tenure is not significantly related to audit risk in Nigeria. Audit expertise is significantly related to audit risk in Nigeria. The study also revealed that audit client risk is insignificantly related to audit risk in Nigeria. In terms of significance, audit firm size exhibited a negative relationship; while audit tenure, audit expertise and audit client risk exhibited a positive relationship with audit risk in Nigeria.

This study investigated artificial intelligence applications in relation to financial reporting quality among deposit money banks in Nigeria. The specific objectives were to examine the extent to which artificial intelligence accounting, artificial intelligence data analytic, artificial intelligence auditing and artificial intelligence predictive applications have influence on financial reporting quality of deposit money banks in Nigeria. This study was a field survey for the year 2025. A total of 2,839 accountants, auditors and management staff constituted the population size, while 351 staff of deposit money banks in Benin City of Edo state formed the sample size by employing stratified and purposive sampling selection techniques. It was a quantitative research design and the main instrument used in collecting data was questionnaire administration. The statistical techniques employed include descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, variance inflation factor and least squares regression method. The study found that artificial intelligence accounting, data analytic and predictive applications have significant positive t-statistics value of 2.480, 2.441 and 2.796 with a probability value of 0.010 (1%), 0.010 (1%) and 0.005 (0.5%) respectively. It was also revealed that artificial intelligence auditing applications has no significant influence on financial reporting quality among deposit money banks in Nigeria but has positive t-statistics value of 1.634 with a probability value of 0.103 (10%). Thus, the study concluded that artificial intelligence applications in accounting, data analytics, auditing and predictive analytics are critical in facilitating enhancement in financial reporting quality among deposit money banks. It therefore recommended that organisations should take advantages of artificial intelligence innovation by training and developing their accountants, auditors and senior managers in areas of financial transactions analyses and prediction to enhance financial reporting quality for the interest of stakeholders.

This study examines the effect of income tax revenue, tax compliance, and tax administration on government revenue in Nigeria. Using secondary data and panel regression analysis, the study assesses how these factors contribute to revenue generation. Descriptive statistics reveal fluctuations in government revenue and income tax revenue, while tax compliance and tax administration remain relatively stable. Correlation analysis indicates a strong positive relationship between income tax revenue and government revenue, whereas tax compliance and tax administration exhibit moderate and weak positive correlations, respectively. The regression results confirm that income tax revenue significantly influences government revenue, highlighting its critical role in fiscal sustainability. Additionally, while tax compliance and tax administration contribute to revenue generation, their effects are less pronounced. These findings underscore the importance of enhancing tax policies, improving administrative efficiency, and promoting voluntary compliance to strengthen Nigeria’s revenue system. The study recommends policy reforms that enhance transparency, enforcement, and taxpayer education to optimize revenue collection.