Restructuring towards Sustainable Development: The Role Corporate Social Responsibility Should Play in the Development of the Niger Delta Region

The oil rich Niger Delta region is host to several big corporations that are involved in the exploration and extraction of her oil. Right from 1958 when oil was first exported in commercial quantity, the region has continued to play significant role in the budgetary calculation of Nigeria. However, despite its oil wealth, the Niger Delta is largely underdeveloped as its environment have been impacted negatively by the activities of oil multinationals and ignored by successive governments. Over the years, conflicts and oil theft have also affected its development. This is in spite of oil companies affirmed commitment to corporate social behavior. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been used to measure a company developmental commitment to host communities and it is a well settled argument that companies have a role to play no matter how minimal, either to mitigate the impacts of their activities or to enhance local participation. This paper attempts to look at how effective oil multinationals CSR is in the region, in the wake of increased spate of violence, social activism and massive environmental degradation. Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, Environmental Responsibility, Niger Delta