Corporate social responsibility in Nigeria's oil and gas industry: the perspective of the industry

Abstract

Nigeria is an exemplar of the challenges of achieving sustainable development in the paradoxical twin realities of resource endowment and acute inequalities originated by difficulties of governance. The paper empirically demonstrates the role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in facilitating the resolution of this paradox. In its several forms, CSR permeates the industry. The industry deploys CSR as a form of social licence to gain and retain acceptability by its host communities. Previous studies of CSR in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria have focussed solely on multinational operators and their activities, particularly the Nigerian outlet of Royal Dutch Shell, in the Niger Delta region. The present study differs from previous studies by including a significant number of small and medium enterprises trading in the industry, both in and outside of the Niger Delta region and both in the upstream and downstream sectors of the industry.