CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) AND CONFLICT IN THE NIGER DELTA OF NIGERIA

Abstract

The discovery and the eventual production of crude oil in Oloibiri, a community in Bayelsa State in 1956 signal a milestone in the history of the Niger Delta. The discovery of crude oil changed considerably a minor region that was hitherto regarded inconsequential in the political space to one of great political relevance at the national and international levels. Presently, there are more than 606 oil fields in the oil-rich region, out of which 60% are onshore and 40% offshore (Aneej, 2004). The revenue generated from oil production in these fields amount to 40% of Nigeria's GDP; 95% of the Nigeria's overall export, as well as 80% of revenue that all tiers (federal, states, and local) governments largely relied upon. Regrettably, the degree to which this enormous contribution to Nigeria’s common wealth has translated into the economic emancipation of the region as well as the improvement of the quality of life for its people remains questionable. The pervasiveness of poverty in the midst of abundance in a supposedly rich region is best described as a paradox. To some, oil wealth is seen rather as a curse than a blessing for the inhabitants of the region in particular and to Nigeria in general (Sarraf and Jiwanji, 2001; Ross, 2003). To others, oil revenue is a common wealth to be shared for self-enrichment as well as to maintain competitive communalism. Therefore, rather than assuaging poverty, it has helped in bolstering the predatory nature of the state (Frynas, 2000). Yet, others have drawn on the rentier state thesis and the Dutch Disease syndrome to describe the impoverishment of the Niger Delta.