Abstract
The Oil and Gas industry in Nigeria has gone through modifications since oil was discovered in commercial quantity more than four decades ago. The sector has become the mainstay of the nation’s economy, pivoting other sectors, and accounting for about 85 percent of Nigeria’s foreign earning, and it makes up about 88 percent of the Federal Government collectable revenue. It is, therefore not unexpected that the industry has become central to the economic growth and development of the country. The relationship between the oil companies and some of their host communities to say the least has not been cordial in recent years owing to perceptions to the role oil and gas companies are expected to play in the progress process of their host communities. In March 2007, the first attempt to introduce the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Bill was initiated by the late Senator Uche Chwukwumerije but it failed to pass the second reading. Further attempts to reform the industry in 2009, 2012 and 2018 also failed until the National Assembly passed the 2021 Petroleum Industry Bill now known as the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 (PIA). Section 240 (2) of the PIA made CSR contribution a mandatory levy on corporations, has changed the voluntary and self-regulatory element of CSR to hard law legislation. It is on the basis of the above that the central aim of this thesis is to appraise the corporate social responsibility of multinational corporations in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. The specific objectives of this thesis amongst others include appraising the extent in which multi-national corporations operating within the Niger Delta Region has impacted their host communities and to examine the adequacy of the legal and institutional frameworks in protecting the interests of host communities with respect to the corporate social responsibilities of multinational corporations. The doctrinal research methodology was adopted in this thesis as both the primary and secondary sources of law were relied upon. This thesis found that the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021 which is the primary legislation governing the oil industry in Nigeria has made far-reaching provisions in mandating multi-national corporations to engage their host communities by creating a host community funds for the development of their host communities. This thesis recommended that upon the failure of the IOC’s to comply with the provisions of the PIA should be actionable in court.
Tanam Nwiko Godson
pp. 223 – 237
