CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN NIGERIA’S OIL INDUSTRY: ENFORCEABILITY AND ITS IMPACT ON CORPORATE PHILANTHROPY

Abstract

The conceptual boundaries of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and corporate philanthropy have become indistinct in the Nigerian oil and gas sector. In a context where multinational oil companies (MNOCs) operate under joint ventures with the Nigerian government the notion of corporate philanthropy is reduced to voluntary tokenism, while systemic environmental degradation persists. Like a cultural paradox, CSR in Nigeria is perceived either as benevolent acts of charity or regulatory inconvenience both inadequate in addressing structural harm caused by oil operations. This paper interrogates the cultural, institutional, and operational attitudes framing corporate philanthropy in Nigeria, particularly in the Niger Delta region. It argues that corporate philanthropy in oil-producing contexts should not be a matter of goodwill but of enforceable responsibility, especially where health, environmental, and socio-economic risks are involved. Drawing on comparative insights, this study proposes a reconceptualization of corporate philanthropy in Nigeria as a legally enforceable facet of CSR, aligned with global sustainability frameworks