EFFECT OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (CEO) CHARACTERISTICS ON EARNINGSQUALITY OF LISTED CONSUMER GOODS FIRMS IN NIGERIA

This study investigates the influence of CEO characteristics specifically, CEO Experience CEO Ownership Stake, CEO Gender, and CEO Compensation Structure on earnings quality among listed consumer goods firms in Nigeria from 2014 to 2023. Employing an ex-post facto research design underpinned by a positivist philosophy, the research utilizes secondary panel data extracted from the annual reports and financial statements of 21 listed consumer goods firms, yielding 210 observations. The study adopts a census sampling method due to the manageable population size and applies a fixed effects regression model, justified by the Hausman test results, to control for unobserved heterogeneity. The empirical findings reveal that CEO Experience and CEO Ownership Stake have significant positive effects on earnings quality. In contrast, CEO Gender and CEO Compensation Structure do not exhibit statistically significant impacts on earnings quality. This study therefore conclude that CEO characteristics have significant effect on earnings quality. It is recommended that regulatory bodies and corporate boards consider these findings when designing governance frameworks.