ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE REPORTING AND CORPORATE PERFORMANCE OF LISTED OIL AND GAS COMPANIES IN NIGERIA

This study examined the effect of environmental, social and governance reporting on corporate performance of listed oil and gas companies in Nigeria. The study adopted an ex post facto and correlational research design, using balanced panel data from six listed oil and gas companies: MRS Oil Nigeria Plc, Seplat Energy Plc, Oando Plc, TotalEnergies Marketing Nigeria Plc, Conoil Plc and Eterna Plc. The study period consisted of 60 firm- years (2015-2024). Data were extracted from annual reports, financial statements, sustainability disclosures and corporate governance reports. The components of the ESG reporting were measured using an unweighted disclosure checklist, and corporate performance using the return on assets. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, diagnostic tests and fixed-effects panel regression. The findings showed that environmental reporting had a positive and significant effect on corporate performance, while social and governance reporting had no significant effect. The study concludes that the influence of ESG reporting on performance is not uniform, with the impression that the amount of information disclosed in the environmental section seems more performance- relevant than the social and governance section. It calls for higher reporting quality for the environment, quantifiable reporting results for social initiatives, and meaningful reporting for governance compliance. Keywords: Environmental reporting; social reporting; governance reporting; ESG disclosure; corporate performance; oil and gas companies.