Audit Committee Characteristics and Financial Performance: A study of Listed Non-Financial Companies in Nigeria

This study examines the impact of audit committee characteristics (AC) on financial performance of listed non-financial companies in Nigeria from 2013-2020. A sample of seventy-six (76) companies listed as non-financial was drawn from the population of one hundred and thirteen (113) companies. Audited annual reports and accounts were used for data extraction. The analysis was done using descriptive statistics and multiple regressions. Explanatory research designed was adopted in the study to find out the impact of AC on financial performance. Variables used include AC proxy by ACIND, ACS and ACM as the proxies for independent variable and financial performances’ accounting and market based measures proxy by EPS and Tobin’s Q was used as the dependent variable. Robustness tests such as multicollonearity test, heteroscedasticity test, normality test and hausman specification test were conducted to validate the results. The study revealed that there is negative significant relationship ACIND and EPS, TQ and ACS has a significant relationship with EPS positively while a negative with TQ and lastly, ACM reported a positive significant relationship with EPS and a positive but not significant with TQ of listed Non-financial companies in Nigeria during the study period. Based the on the findings of the study, the study recommends that the management of the listed non-financial companies in Nigeria should ensure that AC should be made more effective by ensuring that members are made up of independent non-executive directors and the size of the AC should be optimal and lastly ensure that AC meetings are to be tailored towards relevant issues that enhance financial performance of the firm.