scholarly journals Implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility by Oil Companies in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria: Myth or Reality

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-132
Author(s):  
Onyeka Festus Mbalisi ◽  
Christiana Uzoaru Okorie

Niger Delta region of Nigeria is a home to many multinational oil companies with different packages of corporate social responsibility (CSR) because of its huge natural resource reserve especially of oil and gas. The CSR packages are designed to address social, economic and environmental concerns of the indigenes of the Niger Delta region, arising from the oil and gas operations of the multinational oil companies. The operational activities of the oil companies over the years have led to the degradation of the Niger Delta environment with consequent loss of livelihood sources, thereby triggering protests and other violent activities in the region. The paper identified and analysed the indices of the components of the CSR (social, economic and environmental components) packages using results-based management framework to determine the impacts of the CSR projects and programmes on the people. The analysis revealed that multinational oil companies release funds from a philanthropic perspective for the execution of some social development projects/programmes, but these projects/programmes do not address the welfare and livelihood needs of the people. This means that the multinational oil companies operating in the region create an illusion of compliance with social development and responsibility rules. The paper linked these unfortunate situations (environmental degradation, insecurity, poverty, unemployment, etc) found in the region today to failure of CSR implementation due to corruption, insincerity and philanthropic approach of the oil companies and regard it as injustice to the people of Niger Delta. It therefore concluded that CSR implementation in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria is a myth and as a result recommended that Multinational oil companies should therefore incorporate the people of the Niger Delta into the oil economy by enlisting household heads into the payroll system of the multinational oil companies as well as engage sincerely in projects that will lead to the development of the region, if protests and other violent activities in the region must stop. Key Words: Implementation, Corporate social responsibility, Environmental Resources, Niger Delta, Multinational Oil Companies

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph I. Uduji ◽  
Elda N. Okolo-Obasi ◽  
Simplice A. Asongu

The objective of this investigation was to assess the impact of multinational oil companies’ (MOCs) corporate social responsibility (CSR) interventions in female education programmes in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. A total of 800 rural women were sampled across the region. The results from the logit model showed that rural women depended on CSR interventions of MOCs to address some of the logistical and cultural challenges associated with women’s access to post-secondary education in local communities. However, despite the significant success in supporting education initiatives generally, none of the scholarships target females specifically, and compared to men, the low level of human capital in rural women has persisted. This implies that, if CSR interventions are not tailored to enhance gender diversity and promote economic opportunities for women alongside education, they may perpetuate the obstruction of women’s participation in economic, political and social development. By extension, this could delay the reduction of poverty and attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Niger Delta region.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 65-80
Author(s):  
Abraham Orhero ◽  
Zephaniah Osuyi Edo

The oil rich Niger Delta region is host to several big corporations that are involved in the exploration and extraction of her oil. Right from 1958 when oil was first exported in commercial quantity, the region has continued to play significant role in the budgetary calculation of Nigeria. However, despite its oil wealth, the Niger Delta is largely underdeveloped as its environment have been impacted negatively by the activities of oil multinationals and ignored by successive governments. Over the years, conflicts and oil theft have also affected its development. This is in spite of oil companies affirmed commitment to corporate social behavior. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been used to measure a company developmental commitment to host communities and it is a well settled argument that companies have a role to play no matter how minimal, either to mitigate the impacts of their activities or to enhance local participation. This paper attempts to look at how effective oil multinationals CSR is in the region, in the wake of increased spate of violence, social activism and massive environmental degradation. Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, Environmental Responsibility, Niger Delta


2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 399-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilson Ozuem ◽  
Kerry Howell ◽  
Geoff Lancaster

Purpose – This paper aims to empirically test, in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, the external perceptions which hold that a firm that has acted in a socially irresponsible manner can have negative consequences, as an organisation’s success and very survival depends, in part, on satisfying normative expectations from its environment. Design/methodology/approach – A purposive sample of 28 respondents was selected from three communities within the region. In addition, 20 in-depth interviews took place with oil workers, community leaders and elders within the region. These interviews lasted for approximately an hour and were transcribed verbatim. Findings – Drawing on qualitative research methodology, it is proposed that socially responsible investment could promote and facilitate business and social cohesion between corporations and broader communities that impinge on the company, rather than simply viewing business practice exclusively from an economic or political point of view. Research limitations/implications – This study has examined a small range of companies from an interpretivist ethnographic position in the Niger Delta region using data collected from interviews and observations. Future research could take a more positivistic position and explore a wider range of companies using a variety of data collection methods. Practical implications – Understanding corporate social responsibility (CSR) tends to be contextually bound, and should be divorced from the mechanistic Western perspective prevailing in most extant literature. Despite this context-specific notion to CSR relevance, there is still an overwhelming dominance of the understanding of CSR from the Western perspective, so companies should more closely consider local issues when drawing up CSR policy guidelines in a non-Western environment. Originality/value – Forty-eight individuals in the Niger Delta region have been interviewed, and their opinions on CSR issues have been reported.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 396-414
Author(s):  
Yu Cao

This paper explores the reflections of Utqiaġvik community members on oil companies’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities within the region of North Slope, Alaska. The research question is: how have the people of Utqiaġvik responded to the CSR activities of oil companies whose oil extractive industry operations impact the region’s social, economic, and environmental welfare? In particular, this paper seeks to understand why CSR activities sometimes fail to achieve their purported goals. By interviewing residents from the community of Utqiaġvik, this paper obtained perspectives on the impacts of oil development on the local environment and community, bringing to light the limits of current CSR activities, such that this research might provide recommendations for rectifying CSR shortfalls. The argument is: while oil companies’ profit motives tend to restrict the potential of CSR activities, local people should be able to influence the types of CSR activities corporations pursue, given that they experience the local impacts of the industry. The paper concludes by offering recommendations to the oil companies regarding the nature and desired impacts of their CSR activities.


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