Effect of Top Management Commitment on the Performance of Selected Deposit Money Banks in Abuja, Nigeria

This study examined the effect of top management commitment, operationalized as leadership and integrity, on the performance of deposit money banks (DMBs) in Abuja, Nigeria. A survey research design was adopted. The population comprised 203 management and senior staff in the regional head offices of the fourteen (14) DMBs in Abuja listed on the Nigeria Exchange Group (NGX). A census of the entire population was conducted using a structured questionnaire. Of the 203 questionnaires distributed, 189 were returned and usable, a response rate of 93.1%. This sample size exceeds the minimum required for stable PLS-SEM estimation under the inverse square root method (Kock & Hadaya, 2018). Participation was voluntary, informed consent was obtained, and respondents were assured of anonymity and confidentiality. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results showed that leadership had a positive and significant effect on bank performance, while integrity had a positive but statistically insignificant effect. The model explained 45.4% of the variance in bank performance (adjusted R² = 0.435) and demonstrated good predictive relevance (Q² = 0.37). The study recommends that bank executives prioritize leadership development programmes, including training in strategic decision-making, people management and ethical leadership, to sustain and improve performance. It also recommends that management institutionalize stronger ethics and compliance frameworks, such as regular integrity audits and enforcement of employee codes of conduct, so that integrity practices translate into measurable performance outcomes. Keywords: Top management commitment, Performance, Leadership, Integrity, Deposit money banks.