Oil Extraction in Nigeria’s Ogoniland: the Role of Corporate Social Responsibility in Averting a Resurgence of Violence

Abstract

This paper contributes to the literature on the role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in oil extraction communities of developing countries. It specifically examines the impact of Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) interventions of multinational oil companies (MOCs) on preventing a resurgence of violence in the Ogoniland of Nigeria. One thousand, two hundred respondent households were sampled across the six kingdoms of Ogoniland. Results from the use of a combined propensity score matching (PSM) and logit model show that GMoUs of MOCs generate significant reductions on key drivers of insurgence in Ogoniland. This suggests that taking on more Cluster Development Boards (CDBs) should form the basis for CSR practice in Ogoniland with the objective of equipping young people with entrepreneurship skills, creating employment, promoting environmental clean-up, and checking the return of violent conflicts. This in turn provides the enabling environment for businesses to thrive in the Nigeria’s oil producing region.