EFFECT OF FIRM ATTRIBUTES ON CORPORATE REPORTING LAG AMONG LISTED INDUSTRIAL GOODS FIRMS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examined the effect of firm attributes on corporate reporting lag (CRL) among listed industrial goods firms in Nigeria. Adopting a descriptive ex-post facto research design, the study population comprised thirteen (13) industrial goods companies listed on the Nigerian Exchange Group as of December 2024. A purposive sampling technique was employed, and data were collected from annual reports over a ten-year period (2015–2024). Secondary data were sourced from the annual reports of selected firms and analyzed using regression techniques to evaluate the effects of the identified variables on reporting timeliness. Using multiple regression analysis, the findings indicate that profitability significantly increases corporate reporting lag, suggesting that firms with higher earnings are more likely to delay the release of their financial statements. In addition, firm age was found to have a strong positive effect on reporting lag, implying that older firms tend to publish their financial reports less promptly. On the other hand, leverage and firm size both exhibited negative but insignificant effects, meaning that highly leveraged firms and larger firms are not necessarily associated with quicker reporting. The overall results highlight that firm characteristics, particularly profitability and age, are critical drivers of reporting delays in the Nigerian context. The study concludes that regulators should strengthen monitoring and enforcement mechanisms to ensure timely disclosure, while firms should adopt modern reporting strategies and digital disclosure 
platforms to minimize delays and improve the quality of financial communication.