The study looked into the association which exists amid financial statement fraud and governance among business organizations in Nigeria. A population of 122 non-financial companies registered on Nigeria stock exchange was limited to 20 firms employing the rule of thumb based on stratified and simple random technique for a period of 2012-2016. The method of data analysis is panel regression. The dependent variable, fraud in the financial statement was measured using the Beneish M-score model while the independent variable was measured using audit committee independence, board structure. Findings show that an insignificant association exist amid audit committee independence, the composition of the board and financial statement fraud. This research design suggests regarding the reduction of the occurrence of financial statement fraud, less emphasis should be placed on audit committee independence, board composition and independent non-executive directors’ effectiveness.

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The subject of governance has become a pertinent issue for business, government, politics, and the general public. In both the private and the public sectors, there is an increasing demand for good governance in terms of accountability and transparency, and internal audit function within organizations has an important role to play in the achievement of these objectives. This study therefore assessed the effects of internal audit function (IAF) on good governance in the public sector in Nigeria. Primary data was obtained through the administration of structured questionnaire to purposively selected respondents comprising Head of Internal Audit, Director of Finance and Supplies, and Head of Local Government Administration, in 33 public sector organizations in Oyo State, Southwestern Nigeria. A total of 99 respondents participated in the study. IAF was measured by independence of internal audit system, scope of work, professional competence, examination process, and management support, while quality of service, management of public resources measured good governance. Data obtained was analysed using correlation analysis and multiple regression technique. The results showed that the effectiveness of IAF in Nigerian public sector organisations was moderate since internal audit system in the public organisations was not absolutely independent and professional competence was limited due to the challenge of insufficient funds to successfully carry out its duties. Moreover, the study revealed that IAF had significant and positive effect on the quality of service delivery and management of resources in the public organisations. The study concluded that internal Audit function is a veritable tool for promoting good governance in the Nigerian Public Sector. This study therefore recommended that there should be legal mandate in public sector organisations that allows government information to be publicly published and special funds should be made available to internal auditors as it would enhance effectiveness of internal audit function and boost good governance in the organisations.

This study investigates the effects of financial policy and firm specific characteristics on corporate performance. Panel data covering a period from 1990 to 2006 for 70 firms were analyzed. Pooled OLS, Fixed Effect Model and Generalized Method of Moment panel model were employed in the estimation and data were sourced from the annual report and financial statement of the sampled firms. The estimation of the dynamic panel-data results show that long-term debts, tangibility, corporate tax rate, dividend policy, financial and stock market development were all positively related with firms’ performance. Furthermore, the positive relationship between stock market development and ROA suggest that as stock market develops, various investment opportunities are opened to firms. Therefore, there is need to monitor the performance of these variables in order to stabilize and enhance performance of listed firms in Nigeria. In addition, the result shows that growth, size and foreign direct investment are negatively related with firms’ performance (ROA). In addition, the result indicates that higher income variability increases the risk that a firm may not be able to cover its interest payment, leading to higher expected costs of financial distress. This may leads to reduce their profitability. The results of the study generally support existing literature on the impact of financial policy on corporate performance.