EVALUATION OF CSR IN THE NIGER DELTA (NEMBE REGIONS) OF BAYELSA STATE: A CASE STUDY OF SHELL

ABSTRACT

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become a much debated issue between host communities (HC) and Multinational Oil Companies (MOCs) in Nigeria’s Niger Delta Region. The singular pursuit of profit by MOCs, at the expense of CSR, has placed some MOCs on a collision course with host communities in Niger Delta, who are asking that economic, social, and environmental sustainability be taken seriously by operational oil companies in the region. These arguments have resulted in increased corporate-community conflicts; blamed on the rhetoric of MOCs claiming to be socially responsible. For these reasons, the dissertation investigates the sustainability and unsustainability of MOCs in the NDR, by using Shell as a case study. Using the GRI CSR reporting framework as a guideline, the study investigated Shell’s performance concerning the environment, economics, and social impacts of its operations in the Niger Delta (Nembe) regions. It became evident at the end of the evaluation that Shell is applying a double standard in its operations in developed and the developing nations, as most of the company’s CSR schemes lack the ability to take away or compensate for the long suffering of the company’s oil and gas activities in the region. The research concluded with some recommendations on how Shell can implement CSR in the Niger Delta that will be mutually acceptable by all.