Challenges in Adoption of Ifrs in Nigeria

In the major international market, there are currently only four countries do not require IFRS rules, and they are China, Japan, India, and the US. Pacter (2015) explained that presently there are one hundred and forty

Globalization has been changing the world. It has interconnected people, nations, and even businesses. Today´s business can share information to investors around the world thanks to the intelligent software of the actual society. Being more specific, the way in which investors and users evaluate businesses performance is through the information contemplated in their financial statements. These financial statements illustrate the current assets, liabilities, and stockholder equity a company has in order to help users take economic decisions. However, not all the companies are regulated to provide the same structuralized information around the world. Each country possesses its own accounting standard that regulates the preparation of financial statements of a company. In that way, companies’ information might differ between countries making the comparability between financial statements difficult to be implemented by users in order to assess the performance of foreign businesses. In view of the need of a globally accepted accounting standard that promotes uniform standards for worldwide financial reporting, the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC), which then becomes replaced by the International Accounting Standard Board in 2001, was created (Cathey and Schroeder 130). The IASB issues International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) that stands as the set of accounting standards that prepare and present the financial

Despite those enormous advantages, it has been argued that IFRSS adoption lead to significant costs. The main argument is that IFRSs do not consider local needs and priorities as every country has their own ‘business environment, legal systems, cultures, language and political environment’ (Henderson and Peirson, 2000 cited from Malthus, S., 2004). However, to overcome this problem, IASB can accommodate flexible reporting standards that enable companies to choose alternatives that are more suitable for their external condition. It is opinion of some opponents of IFRS adoption that IAS is ‘insufficiently detailed’ (Uddin,M.S., 2005, p.4) that require accountants’ and auditor’ professional judgment. However, overly detail might be contra productive and not flexible in anticipating every changes and differences.

UK’s IFRSs are designed to make it easier to compare the performance of organizations in different countries, rather than each country maintaining its own GAAP, which makes such comparisons difficult. All listed EU companies have been required to use IFRSs since 2005. The adoption of IFRSs by the private sector is expected to have various benefits for both companies and investors; including (1) UK’s IFRSs will remove the need for companies with foreign subsidiaries to translate the accounts for consolidation with the parent company accounts. Also (2) it will be easier for investors to make informed decisions about the performance of companies in different countries because of the increased transparency and a better understanding of financial statements.

The U.S is moving toward IFRS (Forgeas, 2008). In the near future, all US company may need to report financial statements under IFRS. This makes the adaptation of IFRS unavoidable. Recently, some large multinational

All of the other countries, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, turkey, and United Kingdom use have been required to use IFRS or standards that may differ from IFRA to a degree.

The IFRS is basically a set of accounting rules which are issued by the IASB based in London, UK. These accounting standards have originated from its predecessor IASC defining the term IAS, which occurred in the 70’s. it was only after 2000’s that the IASB took a strong hold under the label IFRS claiming to be a lot more independent even though pertaining to its predecessor, efficiently staffed and better funded. Caffermen and zeff (2006) discuss about the gradual spread of accounting has made a considerable progress over time, and with the adoption of IFRS worldwide, accounting procedures could be smoothened.

It has been in deliberation to whether all countries in the world would subject their accounting system under IFRS. As of 2013, there are more than 120 countries around the world necessitate or permit the use of IFRS. These efforts of convergence are to initialize the transparency and uniformity of accounting principles.

The IFRS adoption started in 2002 with the European Union embracing with the AS regulation, as a way to increase the comparability between the countries and their financial statements. This required the European companies to be listed under the European Union securities market and make their consolidated financial statements in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards. Though this not only included the European members' state but also countries that belong to the European Economic Area (EEA); as a way to prepare their financial statements in a consolidated way in regards to the IFRS principles (Deloitte Global Services Limited, 2017). The EU has adopted the same directives in their accounting

With the growth of international business there is a need to standardize financial statements globally. Presently there are “approximately 120 foreign private issuers currently that report to the Commission using IFRS financial statements.” By standardizing accounting practices investors will be able to make informed decisions based on comparability and accuracy of financial statements. The SEC released this statement in 2008, “We believe that IFRS has the potential to best provide the common platform on which companies can report and investors can compare financial information.” The SEC has created a “Roadmap” or plan to convert US GAAP over to IFRS. According to The Committee of

Over 120 countries around the world already permit or even require public companies to use the new International Financial Accounting Standards IFRS. Among them are the EU, China, Russia, and Brazil. Canada and Korea are expected to adopt IFRS by 2012; Mexico will require all listed companies to adopt IFRS in 2012 (http://www.ifrs.com/ifrs_faqs.html#q1).

IFRS is a set of accounting standards promulgated by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), an international standard-setting body based in London. It was designed as a common global language for business affairs so that company accounts are comparable and understandable across international boundaries (Ghosh, 2010). In June 2002, the European Union (EU) adopted an IAS Regulation requiring European companies listed in an EU/European Economic Area (EEA) securities market to prepare their consolidated financial statements in accordance with IFRS starting in 2005 (United Kingdom).

The International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) is the accounting framework used by the European Union, Japan, Canada, and other world economic leaders. The IFRS is based on the tenets of understandability, reliability, and comparability. It is based off the International Accounting Standards (IAS) and had the opportunity to be built from accounting ideas and principles used across the world. In recent years it also has had the chance to look at the United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and modify the rules to enhance clarity and consistency, intentionally setting itself apart from U.S.

With complete notion and awareness of how each country has their set of rules, “the goal of IFRS is to provide a global framework for how public companies prepare and disclose their financial statements” (Rouse, 2011). This view is meant to provide general guidelines, as well as international comparisons through conventional and edifying means. To bring broader and vivid objectives, IFRS replaced IAS, the older standards, in order to bring a more comprehensive and simplified accounting procedures.

All IFRSs are applied consistently across all reporting periods in the organization’s first set of IFRS compliant financial statements. Adoption date is the beginning of the fiscal year for which IFRS financial statements are first prepared. An organization’s first set of financial statements have to present at least three statements of financial position and two statements each of statements of comprehensive income, income statements, statements of cash flow and statements of changes in equity. IFRS also requires companies to make extensive disclosures to explain the transition from GAAP. Reporting date is the closing balance sheet date for the first IFRS financial statements. Companies should include a reconciliation of equity from previous GAAP to IFRS at the date of transition to IFRS and at the end of the latest period presented in the companies’ most recent annual financial statements. A reconciliation of total comprehensive income reported under GAAP to total comprehensive income under IFRS for the comparative interim period should also be included.