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Article
Publication date: 1 January 2012

Joseph E.O. Abugu

This paper revisits existing regulatory approaches in tackling the practices of bogus and extravagant company directors' remuneration packages, often called “fat cat packages”…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper revisits existing regulatory approaches in tackling the practices of bogus and extravagant company directors' remuneration packages, often called “fat cat packages” which erode company capital and dividend return to shareholders. It explores the efficacy of existing rules, pointing out their inadequacy and ineffectiveness. It emphasizes the need to hold directors accountable to shareholders for remuneration received. The object is to proffer a more comprehensive and effective regulatory regime for directors' remuneration packages.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is analytical, reviewing several literature and case law on the subject. It adopts a comparative approach drawly primarily from the Nigerian Companies and Allied Matters Act 2004 which is compared in critical areas with the provisions of the English Companies Act 1985 and 2006.

Findings

The analysis concludes that existing rules monitoring directors' remunerations packages are ineffective. The rules do not address directors' pecks, expenses and other perquisites of office. Often these pecks are more valuable to the director than the actual remuneration package and they constitute a veritable avenue for dissipating company capital. The articles also finds that audit committees and their members are presently not subjected to any liability rules for their role as financial gate keepers verifying the performance of the accounting and audit functions.

Practical implications

The article points out that until regulations are formulated to regulate or cap directors' pecks and expenses, there exists ample room for fraudulent dissipation of company resources resulting in blotted costs of administration and reduced rewards for shareholders. It also advocates the need to subject audit committees to a higher regime of liability in public companies.

Originality/value

The paper draws the attention of scholars, law reformers and law enforcement agencies to the inadequacies of the rules regulating directors' remuneration packages and suggests additional rules. It will certainly incite further scholarly discussion and challenge law reformers to address the issues raised in several jurisdictions.

Article
Publication date: 30 March 2021

Ambrose Nnaemeka Omeje, Augustine Jideofor Mba, Michael Okike Ugwu, Joseph Amuka and Perpetual Ngozi Agamah

The study examined the penetration of financial inclusion in the agricultural sector, using small-scale farmers in Enugu State, Nigeria, as evidence.

Abstract

Purpose

The study examined the penetration of financial inclusion in the agricultural sector, using small-scale farmers in Enugu State, Nigeria, as evidence.

Design/methodology/approach

The study utilized survey data generated from 425 questionnaires administered to small-scale farmers in both rural and urban locations in Enugu State. The study applied the adequacy gap, timeliness gap and penetration gap indices to measure the penetration of financial inclusion among the small-scale farmers in Enugu State.

Findings

It was found that different lending agencies, except for some cooperative societies, were unable to meet the credit needs of small-scale farmers in Enugu State as shown by the adequacy gap index. The timeliness gap index revealed the existence of time gap in the credit receipt of small-scale farmers given that agriculture is rain-fed in Enugu. The penetration gap index indicated that there is gap in the penetration of agricultural credit grants to small-scale farmers in Enugu State, showing a shallow penetration of financial inclusion in agricultural sector.

Research limitations/implications

The research is limited in scope as a result of data and the desire to study small-scale farmers in Enugu State, Nigeria.

Practical implications

The study recommended among others that government should encourage cooperatives more to meet credit needs of farmers in order to raise the level of financial inclusion penetration.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the only study that examines the penetration of financial inclusion among small-scale farmers in Enugu State, Nigeria. This study contributes to the growing literature on financial inclusion in the agricultural sector as there is dearth of literature in this study area.

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