PurposeIn this paper, we investigate the impact of remittances on control of corruption in Nigeria for a period of 1986–2016.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses ARDL modeling framework, dynamic OLS estimation, variance decomposition and impulse response analysis to examine the relationship between the two variables.FindingsThe study finds that remittances significantly improve the control of corruption in Nigeria. We further examine the robustness test of the results using dynamic OLS estimation, variance decomposition and impulse response analysis. Our results remain significant and consistent to the earlier one reported in ARDL framework which supports the extant literature.Practical implicationsOur study suggests that international remittances can be used, through the cross-border transfer of norms and practices, to significantly impact the socioeconomic progresses of a country by reducing corruption.Originality/valueThe existing studies on the relationship between corruption and remittances document conflicting results. In addition, study on corruption - remittances nexus that specifically focuses on any African country is largely absent despite the fact that most of the countries in the region are recognized as highly corrupt. This paper provides insights on how remittances can be used as part of tool kits to control corruption in African nation.

This study investigates the relationship between corporate tax planning and financial performance of quoted non‐financial companies. The secondary yearly data used were gathered from 47 sampled non‐financial companies from 2007 to 2016. A panel vector autoregressive approach with structural analysis such as variance decomposition and impulse response function was adopted. The results of the study revealed that tax saving had a direct relationship with financial performance, while tax avoidance had an inverse relationship with financial performance. The financial variables under consideration mainly contributed to their own shocks or forecast errors. The responses of the financial performance to shocks in tax avoidance had an expansionary effect which could hinder the performance of the companies, while financial performance response to shocks in tax savings had a contractionary effect and as such, could lead to better performance of the companies. Thus, corporate tax planning that enhances tax savings greatly contributes to the performance of non‐financial companies. They should therefore not only engage in tax planning, but also ensure that their tax planning is legal, and leads to tax saving for the companies, such that no excessive or multiple tax will be paid and hence, better financial performance will be achieved.

This paper examines the long run and short run link between dividend payout policy and corporate performance of quoted companies in Nigeria over the period 2001–2018. The study employs data of 80 listed companies collected from the audited financial statements of the companies and the publication of Central Bank of Nigeria. Using Pooled Mean Group-Autoregressive Distributed Lag approach, the result shows that dividend policy negatively and statistically influence performance in the short run, while in the long run the effect is positive and significant.

This study examines the interactive effect of tax planning and corporate governance on the financial performance of 50 non-financial quoted companies in Nigeria between 2007 and 2018. The study sample that covers 9 sectors was selected purposively through stratified random sampling. Data used were collected from the audited annual reports and accounts of selected quoted companies in Nigeria and fact books published by the Nigeria Stock Exchange. A system GMM was employed to estimate the dynamic models, and results show that ownership structure (OS) and capital intensity (CI) exerted a significant and positive impact on the returns on assets. This implies that OS plays a significant role to ensure that CI triggers an increase in the return on assets of the quoted Nigerian companies. However, board diversity and thin capitalization wielded a significant and negative influence on return on assets. This study thus recommends that companies should put in place a strong corporate governance mechanism that will monitor, check and balance tax planning activities and strategies adopted by the management of quoted companies in Nigeria.

The study investigates whether external environment in which firms operate plays any role in the choice of corporate capital structure decision in Nigeria. A panel data of 66 listed companies, comprising firms' leverage, macroeconomic variables and institutional quality, are used. Data are collected from World Development Indicator, OPEC annual oil price statistics, annual reports and accounts of selected listed companies, fact books published by Nigerian stock exchange and International Country Risk Guide between 1999 and 2015. The study employs pooled OLS, random effect and system-GMM for the analysis. Results show that external environment plays important role in the choice of firm's capital structure as macroeconomic variables and institutional quality variable have significant results. Macroeconomic variables such as inflation, oil price, GDP and lagged value of the dependent variable, have positive and significant results on leverage. Other variables, such as exchange rate, corruption and investment have negative effects on leverage.