UNIPORT JOURNAL OF BUSINESS, ACCOUNTING & FINANCE MANAGEMENT

This study examines the effect of global trends in digital payment systems on the financial performance of listed deposit money banks in Nigeria. The main topic of the study is digital payment systems and financial performance. The specific objectives were to assess the effect of Automated Teller Machine (ATM) transactions, Point-of-Sale (POS) transactions, and mobile payment transactions on Return on Assets (ROA) of listed deposit money banks in Nigeria. The study adopted an ex-post facto research design, relying on secondary data sourced from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), and annual reports of selected listed deposit money banks over 10 years. The method of data analysis employed includes descriptive statistics and panel regression analysis using the Random Effect Model to determine the relationship between digital payment channels and financial performance. The findings revealed that ATM transactions have a positive and significant effect on ROA, POS transactions also show a positive and significant effect, while mobile payment transactions have the strongest positive and most significant influence on ROA. The model indicates that digital payment systems explain about 74% of the variation in financial performance, confirming strong explanatory power. The study recommends that banks should increase investment in mobile banking infrastructure, expand POS networks, and improve ATM service efficiency to enhance profitability. The implications of the findings suggest that the adoption and expansion of digital payment systems significantly improve banking performance, enhance customer convenience, and strengthen competitiveness in the Nigerian banking sector.

The debt capital has been the major source of manufacturing companies’ fund for the purpose of productive investment to produce goods to enhance the economic production of consumer goods and beverages but due to financial crime perpetrated by managers to satisfy their selfish utilities, the profitability of most of productive firms.). Therefore, this study was embarked upon to investigate the effect of debt capital on profitability of listed food and beverage manufacturing firms in Nigerian Exchange Group from 2011-2022 as the main aim of this study. The specific objectives are to determine the effect of long term debt (LTD) on net profit margin (NPM) and return on equity (ROE). Ascertain the effect of short term debt (STD) on net profit margin (NPM) and return on equity (ROE). The research design is ex-post facto cross sectional, and time series. The sample size for the empirical analysis is five (5) listed food and beverage manufacturing firms in Nigerian Exchange Group, 2011- 2022, and the statistical instrument used for the empirical analysis was standard ordinary least square multiple regressions. Data were collected through historical data from the annual reports of the selected listed food and beverage manufacturing firms in Nigerian Exchange Group 2011- 2022, and it was diagnostically tested by the unit root model to determine if the variables were at stationary, since the data were abnormally distributed. The results indicated that LTD has an insignificant effect on NPM and ROE. STD has insignificant effect on NPM and ROE. Therefore, the researchers’ concluded that it could be that the long-term debt borrowed fund was mismanaged, and short term debt is inefficiently utilized. Hence, this study recommended that management of the manufacturing firms ought to create borrowing policy that will ensure the efficient and effective management of the external fund to achieve their financial target.

This study investigates the effects of key public sector reforms on transparency in financial reporting and the reduction of corruption levels in Nigeria. Using a survey research design, primary data were collected from 520 civil servants across federal ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) in Nigeria. The research assessed four major reform dimensions: Government Budgeting Reforms (GBR), E-government Initiatives (EGI), Treasury Single Account (TSA) implementation, and International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) adoption. Descriptive and regression analyses were employed to evaluate respondents’ perceptions and the statistical impact of these reforms. Findings reveal that IPSAS implementation and e-government initiatives significantly enhance transparency in financial reporting and contribute meaningfully to corruption reduction. Specifically, IPSAS adoption showed the strongest positive effect, underscoring its role in promoting accountability and reducing financial irregularities. E-government reforms also demonstrated substantial impact, highlighting the importance of digital tools in minimizing corrupt practices. While TSA reforms were found to positively influence corruption reduction, their effect on transparency in financial reporting was statistically insignificant. Government budgeting reforms, though directionally positive, exhibited weak and non-significant effects in both domains. The study concludes that technology-driven and internationally aligned reforms are more effective in fostering transparency and combating corruption than traditional budgeting adjustments. It recommends stronger political commitment, enhanced institutional capacity, and greater citizen engagement to maximize the benefits of public sector reforms in Nigeria.

This study examines the effect of working capital management (WCM) on the firm value of listed pharmaceutical companies in Nigeria. The study used the entire number of 7 listed pharmaceutical companies , with data drawn from annual reports spanning 2014 to 2024. This study employed descriptive statistics and panel estimation regression methods which yielded notable results: Account receivable period had a substantial favorable   effect on firm value (t-stat. = 3.3168, p

The study investigates the relationship between workplace digitalisation and entrepreneurial success of food and beverages firms in Rivers State. Digital tool adoption and process integration was used as the dimensions of workplace digitalization, while business growth and profitability were used as the measures of entrepreneurial success. The survey study’s accessible population comprises 545 employees of the food and beverages firm in Rivers State. A sample of 226 was derived using Krejcie and Morgan (1970) table. Structured questionnaire was used, and Spearman correlation coefficient was used for the analyses. The findings reveal a strong, positive and significant relationship between the dimensions of workplace digitalization and entrepreneurial success. The study concludes that workplace digitalization correlates with entrepreneurial success. The study recommends enhancing adoption of digital tools and process integration for entrepreneurial success.

This study examined the effect of flexible work arrangements (FWAs) on employee job satisfaction among selected entrepreneurial firms in Lagos State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted. Using Yamane's (1967) formula, 154 questionnaires were administered to employees drawn from selected entrepreneurial SMEs through stratified random sampling. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequencies, means, standard deviations), Cronbach's alpha for reliability, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis. Four dimensions of FWAs (flextime, remote/telework, compressed work schedule, and job sharing) were examined against employee job satisfaction indicators (autonomy, workload satisfaction, work-life balance, and overall satisfaction). The study's results indicate that all four FWA dimensions have statistically significant positive effects on employee job satisfaction. Flextime significantly predicted employee commitment (β = 0.561, p < 0.001); remote/shift flexibility significantly predicted productivity (β = 0.510, p < 0.001); compressed schedules significantly improved work-life balance and reduced job stress (β = 0.571, p < 0.001); and job sharing significantly enhanced productivity-related satisfaction (β = 0.573, p < 0.001). The full model explained 32.2% of variance in job satisfaction (F(4,149) = 17.701, p < 0.001). This study provides empirical evidence on FWAs within the under-researched context of Nigerian entrepreneurial SMEs, applying multiple motivational theories and contributing to the growing literature on work flexibility in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as providing evidence for human resource managers, policy makers, and entrepreneurs to integrate FWAs into organisational strategy. With the outcome of this study, entrepreneurial firms in Lagos State should formalise FWA policies to attract and retain talent, reduce absenteeism, and improve employee morale.

This study investigates the impact of audit quality dimensions on the financial reporting quality (FRQ) of the 14 deposit money banks listed on the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) from 2018 to 2024. Motivated by the persistent failure of banks despite "clean" audit opinions—most recently evidenced by the 2024 collapse of Heritage Bank—this research examines whether audit fees, tenure, and firm size influence reporting integrity. Using a Pooled OLS regression on 98 bank-year observations, the results reveal that audit fees exhibit a statistically significant positive relationship with FRQ (β = 0.0190, p < 0.001), confirming that resource commitment is the primary driver of audit effectiveness. Conversely, audit firm size and auditor tenure were found to be statistically insignificant. This study argues that in the Nigerian banking sector, "Big Four" affiliation (95% of observations) and mandatory rotation have become structural market baselines rather than differentiators of quality. The findings suggest that regulators should move beyond "brand-name" oversight and focus on the adequacy of audit pricing to ensure rigorous financial monitoring.

Tax revenue provides a potent tool for governance and economic emancipation of nations irrespective of region and level of development because of its nonvulnerability to external shocks like other natural resources income flows. This study explored the moderating effect governance on the nexus between tax revenue and sustainable development of Nigeria from 1996 to 2024. Anchoring on fiscal social contract and institutional theories, explanatory research design was deployed and secondary data was collected to effectively operationalize the research variables. The autoregressive distributed lag method was utilized as the appropriate estimation method after the pre-estimation tests. The empirical results indicated that tax revenue only exhibited significant influence on sustainable development at the introduction of governance indices. However, both tax revenue and governance has significant and negative effects on sustainable development of Nigeria. The study also found that governance significantly and negatively moderates the effect of tax revenue on sustainable development of Nigeria in the short run. Thus, the study called for urgent government action on the basic elements of governance indicators identified by the World Governance Indicator (WGI), as a necessity for Nigeria’s fiscal revenue to effectively and positively contribute towards sustainable development.

This study investigates the impact of irregular electricity power supply on the performance of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Makurdi Metropolis, with specific emphasis on the implications of reliance on alternative energy sources. Using a survey design method, data were collected from 300 registered SMEs in Makurdi including barber shop/hair dressing salon, computer business centres, tailoring/fashion and designing, welder/fabrication, and hotels/restaurants. Quantitative data were analysed through descriptive statistics and chi-square to examine the influence of irregular electricity supply and alternative power usage on enterprise performance indicators. This include profitability, operational cost, employment capacity, and business expansion. The findings reveal that irregular electricity supply significantly undermines SMEs performance in Makurdi Metropolis. Results indicate that frequent power outages increase operational costs, reduce profit margins, constrain employment capacity, and impede business expansion. Although SMEs resort to alternative energy sources such as diesel generators, inverters, and solar systems to mitigate power instability, the high costs of acquisition, maintenance, and fuel consumption exacerbate financial strain and do not adequately compensate for grid unreliability. The study further reveal that there is negative relationship between irregular power electricity and SMEs performance who adopt alternative energy fair significantly. The study concludes that current energy supply challenges pose a substantial barrier to SMEs to compete for sustainability in Makurdi Metropolis. The study recommended that there should be prompt upgrade and maintenance of electricity infrastructure. The relevant agencies in power distribution and government authorities should prioritise the modernisation and maintenance of transmission and distribution networks in Makurdi Metropolis to reduce power outages and to strengthen the existing infrastructure which will improve electricity reliability and lessen the operational burden on SMEs.

The Nigerian capital market has been increasingly inundated with reports of imposition of fines by the authorities of the Nigerian Exchange Commission arising from late filings of audited financial statements, despite the apparent upward trend in firm value measures. Previous empirical studies, with focus on the Nigerian consumer goods firms, have paid less attention to the empirical question of whether these fines, which suggest audit delays, influence different measures of firm value. It is against this backdrop that this study examined the effect of audit reporting lag on firm value in listed consumer goods firms. This study adopted an ex-post facto research design. The study's sample consisted of ten (10) purposefully selected Nigerian listed consumer goods firms. Three hypotheses were formulated and tested. We analysed the collected data using descriptive and inferential statistics, employing E-Views version 12.0. We analysed the data at a significance level exceeding five percent (5%). Findings revealed that audit reporting lag has a significant effect on stock returns (as a market-based financial performance measure) of the selected listed consumer goods firms in Nigeria (λ = -.4680, p-value

This manuscript explores the challenge of re-engineering entrepreneurial ethics in Nigeria's small-scale manufacturing sector through institutional reforms, emphasizing educational and regulatory interventions. Based on a review of 30 peer-reviewed studies, it highlights systemic weaknesses in Nigeria's entrepreneurial ecosystem, including endemic corruption, regulatory gaps, limited access to finance, and inadequate ethics education. These issues have led to the normalization of evasive behaviours, such as tax evasion and bribery, perceived as "best practices" in constrained environments. Employing institutional theory, the analysis investigates how both formal and informal institutions shape entrepreneurial ethics, particularly in the manufacturing sector, where ethical lapses can significantly impact economic growth and social welfare. Comparative analyses with other African nations (like Ghana, Uganda, and Kenya) and emerging economies (such as India and Brazil) provide transferable lessons and context-specific interventions. Key findings show that: (1) institutional quality plays a vital role in moderating the relationship between SME development and economic growth; (2) educational interventions must include practical entrepreneurship training along with explicit ethics curricula; (3) regulatory reforms should strengthen formal institutions while addressing informal norms that perpetuate corruption; and (4) effective reform requires coordinated action across educational systems, regulatory bodies, and cultural frameworks. The article concludes with policy recommendations focused on reforming educational curricula, strengthening regulatory frameworks, implementing anti-corruption measures, and building institutional capacities tailored to Nigeria's socio-economic context.

The private sector is widely recognized as one of the major drivers of economic growth in any economy, especially when the right credit is made accessible to them. In macroeconomic theory, fluctuations in the supply of money and credit constitute a key causal factor in the cyclical process of economic activity, that is, when money supply falls, prices reduce, profits reduce, production activities become sluggish, and output is low. Conversely, when money supply expands, prices rise, profits increase and the total output increases and finally, growth takes place, (Olorunmade, Samuel & Adewole, 2019). The financial sector is one of the sources that makes this credit accessible to the private sector. The financial sector enhance stability, efficiency and has the ability to mobilize and allocate resources effectively (IMF, 1997). It can then be concluded that no economy can develop without an appreciable growth in the financial sector, (Iloanya, 2023).

Integrated Reporting (IR) has emerged as a holistic disclosure framework that seeks to enhance corporate transparency, accountability, and stakeholder engagement by integrating financial and non-financial information. This study reviews post-2020 empirical literature to assess the impact of IR adoption on corporate performance, with a focus on both financial and non-financial dimensions. Findings indicate that IR adoption is positively associated with improved stakeholder trust, enhanced firm reputation, and better access to capital. From a financial perspective, IR supports efficient capital allocation and long-term value creation, while non-financially it fosters sustainability, governance quality, and organizational legitimacy. However, the review also reveals variations in outcomes across different institutional contexts, with stronger effects in environments characterized by robust regulatory frameworks and high stakeholder activism, compared to weaker effects in emerging economies where adoption is often symbolic. Theoretically, the study demonstrates that IR is underpinned by stakeholder and legitimacy theories but also highlights the growing relevance of institutional theory in explaining contextual differences. Methodological gaps are evident, as most studies rely heavily on quantitative approaches with limited exploration of qualitative insights that capture deeper organizational dynamics. The study concludes by proposing a future research agenda focused on context-sensitive frameworks, hybrid methodologies, and sector-specific analyses that can further clarify the role of IR in driving sustainable corporate performance.

This study explored the effect of balance of payments on economic growth in Nigeria. The objectives of the study were to establish the connection between the balance of payments and economic growth. Secondary data were collected from the Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin. Real GDP was the dependent variable while balance of payment (capital and current account), exceptional financing and net errors/omission were the independent variables. The Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test was used to test for stationarity, the results revealed that the variables were stationary at first difference. Also the analysis revealed that there was long run relationship between balance of payment and economic growth of Nigeria. Results from the error correction model revealed that balance of payment exerted a significantly negative effect on economic growth of Nigeria, exceptional financing had negative and significant effect on economic growth, while net error and omissions had positive and significant effect on economic growth of Nigeria. The study concluded that Nigeria’s balance of payment has not been favorable in enhancing economic growth. Exceptional financing statistics for Nigeria are on the increase and this has led to heightened pressure on the economy and slowing down of real gross domestic product. It was recommended that the Nigerian government should strive to boost the country’s exports as this is the only way to put the balance of payment statistics on a positive trend and ensure sustained economic growth.

Given the perceived connection between bank deposits and bank lending, this study investigated the effects of private sector deposits on the growth of the Nigerian economy for the period 1994 to 2023. Real GDP was adopted as a proxy for economic growth while private sector deposit was disaggregated into demand, time, savings and foreign currency deposits. Data for the study were sourced from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) statistical bulletin for 2023. Following preliminary analysis that covered descriptive analysis and ADF unit root test, the study adopted the Johansen cointegration analytical technique, granger causality test and ECM estimation for further analysis. The validity and reliability of results were checked using multicollinearity, serial correlation and heteroscedasticity tests. Basically, the study revealed that there is a long run relationship between private sector deposits and economic growth in Nigeria. Also, results showed that private sector’s demand, time and foreign currency deposits have positive insignificant effects on real GDP which the sector’s savings deposits have negative but also insignificant influence on real gross domestic product. On this note, the study concluded that the effect of private sector deposits on economic growth in Nigeria is insignificant. This led to the suggestion that there is need for banks to offer competitive lending rates that will be attractive to the public so as to be able to attract more deposits for onward lending to the deficit unit of the economy. Also, the regulatory authorities on their part should scale down lending rate by bringing down monetary policy rate. This will help in pushing more funds from the public into the banking system.