CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, GOODWILL MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE NIGER DELTA: AN ANALYSIS OF SHELL AND THE OGONI CASE

Christian Tuotamuno Diri, Francis Sunday Leman

Abstract


This paper explored the politics of corporate social responsibility, goodwill management and development in the Niger Delta focusing specifically on the activities of Shell Petroleum Development Corporation (SPDC) in Ogoniland.  From the plethora of literature the study discovered that the seemingly inability of corporations to look beyond profits in rendering Corporate Social Responsibility services, and above all the complicity of Multi-national National Corporations (MNCs) in corruption issues, human right abuses, environmental disregard and degradation, social and economic dislocation is prevalent. It was realized that the Slack resources theory which assumes that resources set-aside for CSR activities by MNCs is purely dictated by the extent of the availability of resources not desired for other purposes is employed in the company’s CSR disposition. This paper establishes that though the CSR had become part of SPDC‟s medium of giving back to host communities, especially in the early 1990s, CSR and goodwill projects are still inadequate, top-down driven and in communities where projects are bottom-top driven. Also, Corporate Social Responsibility projects are not making the desired impact in host communities because, most CSR projects are political, intended to satisfy political friends, pacify hostile communities and sometimes an unnecessary duplication. Beyond rhetoric and promises as have been noticed in the former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government and that of President Mohamadu Buhari’s administration, the paper advocates that government should take practical steps geared towards implementing the United Nations Environmental Protection Agency (UNEP) report of 2011 on Ogoniland. The Shell Petroleum Development Corporation (SPDC) should pay specific attention to the factors identified by the communities as being responsible for the occurrence of conflicts and address them.

Keywords


politics, corporate social responsibility, goodwill, development and Niger Delta

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