Title: Effects of board and audit committee characteristics on audit delay in the Nigerian oil and gas sector

Authors: Ozigi Omoyi Obeitoh; Ismaila Yusuf; Mamdouh Abdulaziz Saleh Al-Faryan

Addresses: Department of Accounting, Faculty of Management Science, Federal University Dutsin Ma, Dustin Ma Katsina State, Nigeria ' Department of Accounting, Faculty of Management Science, Federal University Dutsin Ma, Dustin Ma Katsina State, Nigeria ' School of Accounting, Economics and Finance, Faculty of Business and Law, University of Portsmouth, UK

Abstract: This study investigates the relationship between the effects of board and audit committee characteristics on audit delay in the Nigerian oil and gas sector. The study adopts Driscoll and Kraay statistical regression model with ten-year panel data for seven oil and gas firms in Nigeria. Our findings reveal the effects of board and audit committee characteristics on audit delay. Specifically, our study reveals that board independence, audit committee independence, audit committee meeting and the financial expertise of women on audit committees reduce audit delay, which promotes financial reporting timeliness while board size and board meeting have no significant association with audit delay. The findings of this study confirm agency and resource dependence theories. The findings of this study emphasise the importance of board and audit committee characteristics in mitigating audit delay.

Keywords: audit delay; board size; board independence; board meeting; audit committee independence.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBGE.2025.149824

International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics, 2025 Vol.19 No.6, pp.733 - 753

Received: 22 May 2022
Accepted: 07 Sep 2023
Published online: 14 Nov 2025 *

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