European Journal of Accounting, Finance and Investment

Corporate Governance And Financial Performance Of Listed Banks In Nigeria

Adediran, Jubril Abimbola

Federal Cooperative College, Ibadan

Uti, Innocent Chukwuma

Federal Cooperative College, Ibadan

Muhammed, Masroor Ahmad

Federal Cooperative College, Ibadan

Keywords: Corporate Governance, Stakeholder Theory, Banking Sector

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Abstract

This study examined the impact of corporate governance practices on the financial performance of listed deposit money banks in Nigeria. The Nigerian banking sector has faced challenges, including bank failures, associated to weak corporate governance structures. While prior research has yielded mixed results, there is a lack of substantial evidence on consensus establishing the effect of corporate governance and financial performance of listed deposit money banks in the Nigerian context. This research addressed this gap by focusing on corporate governance variables such as board composition, audit committee effectiveness, board size, etc. Financial performance was proxied by return on assets (ROA) over a ten-year period from 2015 to 2024. The study uses static panel data technique to analyze secondary data from the annual reports and governance disclosures of the listed banks. The findings revealed that while some governance practices, such as board size, positively influence performance, others, like the number of executive and non-executive directors, have a negative effect on key financial metrics. The results underscore the complexity of the governance-performance relationship and suggest that contextual factors play a crucial role.

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