THE EXTENT OF SUSTAINABILITY DISCLOSURE: EVIDENCE FROM LISTED NIGERIAN OIL AND GAS COMPANIES

Global reporting initiatives (GRI) guidelines has received wide spread acceptance across the globein the area of sustainability reporting. Several studies conducted in developed countries proved theeffectiveness of the GRI index. In order to enjoy the benefits attributable to sustainability reporting,many developing nations claim compliance with the GRI index. However, the extent of compliancewith the index remain sketchy. The objective of this research is to discuss this challenge bymeasuring the extent of sustainability disclosure in the Nigerian oil and gas companies using theGlobal Reporting Initiatives (GRI) framework as yardstick. The study used secondary data collectedfrom the annual report and accounts of eight (8) selected oil and gas companies listed on NigerianStock Exchange (NSE). Weighted disclosure index was used to measure the level of compliance withsustainability disclosure among these companies. T-test was used to find the means difference of theselected companies using company characteristics. The findings reveal that there is significancelevel of compliance with sustainability disclosure requirement by the companies. It also revealsyearly improvement in the means compliance across the study period. In addition, companiescomplied more with the requirement under strategy and analyses than other categories of thedisclosure requirement. It also shows that big companies complied more with the disclosurerequirement than small companies. However, profitability and audit quality of the companies haveno significance difference in influencing level of disclosure. The study further suggests for futureresearch the assessment of value relevance of this level of compliance. : Sustainability Disclosur

MEDIATING ROLE OF TAX KNOWLEDGE ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TAX COMPLEXITY, TAX AGENT, TAX AUDIT AND PETROLEUM PROFIT TAX EVASION: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Low tax compliance as a result of tax evasion is gradually increasing in Nigerian oil and gas sector. In addressing this concern, this study proposed a framework to investigate the extent of tax evasion amongst oil and gas companies in Nigeria. The proposed framework is based on economic deterrence theory. This study extends the current body of knowledge in taxation field by expanding economic deterrence theory with the meditating effect of tax knowledge. Also, the study would be useful in guiding stakeholders and policymakers in developing nations on the way to curb the menace of tax evasion. If validated, the framework would provide more meaningful insight on the level of tax evasion in Nigerian oil and gas sector. Nigerian policymakers would benefit immensely from the study if finally conducted as it would help the government to reduce the level of tax evasion, thereby increasing the government revenue. The proposed framework will be empirically examined via collection and analysis of the relevant data