Audit Committee and Earnings Management in Quoted Manufacturing Firms in Nigeria

Abstract

This study evaluates the audit committee impact on earnings management of listed manufacturing companies in Nigeria. The study uses secondary data which were extracted from ten (10) sampled manufacturing firms listed in the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) for the period 2010-2019. The study used Random Effects Model (REM) for the analysis of data. The results showed that financial expertise of audit committee has significant negative impact on earnings management while audit committee tenure has an insignificant negative impact on earnings management. Furthermore, share ownership of audit committee has significant negative impact on earnings management. The study therefore, concludes that both the audit committee expertise and share ownership of audit committee enhance the financial reporting quality of manufacturing firms in Nigeria. Based on the impact of members of audit committee with financial expertise, the study recommends among others that, the board should ensure appointing the sufficient audit committee members that are experts on financial matters. Similarly, the study also recommends the enclosure of more members with substantial shareholdings in the audit committee. This can enhance their willingness to protect their investment and helps in proper monitoring and supervision, thereby reducing earnings management.