Governance Transformation in Nigerian Banks: From Post-Crisis Remediation to Sustainable Governance Architecture, 2009 to 2024

This dissertation traces and theorises the governance transformation trajectory in Nigerian commercial banks from the post-2009 crisis remediation period to the present, proposing an original Sustainable Governance Architecture model applicable to banking institutions in emerging market economies. The 2009 banking crisis, which required emergency liquidity support for eight banks and the removal of multiple chief executives, exposed fundamental governance failures and triggered the most significant governance reform cycle in Nigeria's banking history. Fifteen years on, this study provides the first comprehensive longitudinal analysis of how Nigerian banking governance has evolved in response to crisis, regulation, and changing stakeholder expectations. Drawing on institutional change theory, organisational resilience literature, and banking governance scholarship, this study employs a multi-method historical analysis approach combining quantitative trend analysis of fourteen governance attributes across twenty-two listed banks over fifteen years with a qualitative analysis based on eighty interviews with current and former bank directors, Central Bank of Nigeria supervisors, and governance practitioners. The study introduces the Sustainable Governance Architecture concept, distinguishing it from compliance-oriented governance by its emphasis on adaptive capacity, ethical culture sustainability, and proactive stakeholder governance. Original contributions include the longitudinal governance evolution dataset, the Sustainable Governance Architecture theoretical model, and policy propositions for governance-resilience integration in post-crisis banking systems. Keywords: banking governance transformation, post-crisis governance, sustainable governance architecture, Nigerian banks, institutional change.