Against the background of new models of corporate-community engagements in response to the failings of old models by oil transnationals, this article attempts an assessment of the implementation of the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) by Chevron and Shell on sustainable community development in host communities in Nigeria’s oil belt. It argues that though the GMoU represents a radical departure from the past in terms of participation and ownership of development projects with the benefits these entail, its potency for sustainable development is hampered by a number of old challenges, namely, the enormity of the development challenge in the Delta thrown up by the failings of an absentee state, the structural constraints imposed on corporations by the profit-maximizing motive and cultural factors that not only prevent effective participation but also promote voicelessness of marginalized groups such as women. The implications of these to sustainable development are explored.

Corporate–community relations in the Niger Delta region are, almost without exception, framed in the context of conflict, borne out of dysfunctional or misguided corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies and practices by oil transnationals. Based on a comparative study of the CSR policies and practices of Shell, Total and Agip in six oil-bearing communities in Rivers State, a core oil-bearing state in the Niger Delta, this paper contests this orthodoxy, pointing out significant variations in the intensity and scale of conflicts between host communities and different oil transnational corportions (TNCs) in the region. The key question explored in the study is: to what extent is the variation in CSR policy and practices implicated in variation in the intensity and scale of conflicts between host communities and oil TNCs in the Niger Delta? We conclude that the intensity and scale of conflict in corporate–community relations in the Niger Delta region are a function of the CSR pattern of the operating oil TNC. The implications of this for CSR policy and practice are explored.

In the heyday of insurgency in Nigeria's oil-rich but poor Niger Delta region, much scholarly effort was made to explain this conflict as being borne out of relative deprivation. This paper contests the logic of using relative deprivation as the cause, as opposed to the reconfiguration of power in Nigeria's national politics. This has seen the emergence of a president from the once marginalized Niger Delta region and the resultant dynamics of post-conflict peace-building. We also examine the consequences of a return to peace in the Niger Delta, in spite of the failure of the Nigerian state and oil transnational corporations to address the grievances that were widely canvassed as the reasons for rebellion. I conclude that insurgency in Nigeria is spawned not so much by conditions of relative deprivation, as by the nature of Nigeria's fundamentally flawed federalism.

Against the background of attempts to explain the poor Corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance of transnational oil corporations in the Niger Delta in the context of flawed approaches, processes and inadequate CSR packages, this paper contests not only the explanations for the failure of CSR, but the core idea that CSR is capable of engendering sustainable community development at all. Given the enormity of the development challenge in the region, corporations cannot, even with the best of intentions, make meaningful impact on host communities, mainly because of the structural constraints arising from the profit-seeking ethos which drives corporate behaviour.Performances en matière de responsabilité sociale des entreprises dans le delta du Niger : audelà de deux orthodoxies constitutives Avec comme toile de fond les tentatives en vue d'expliquer les médiocres performances en matière de responsabilité sociale des entreprises (RSE) des sociétés transnationales d'exploitation du pétrole dans le delta du Niger dans le contexte d'approches et de processus imparfaits et de programmes insuffisants de RSE, cet article conteste non seulement les explications données pour expliquer l'échec de la RSE, mais aussi l'idée de base selon laquelle la RSE est capable d'engendrer un développement communautaire durable quelconque. É tant donné la grande envergure du défi de développement dans la région, les sociétés ne peuvent pas, même lorsqu'elles sont munies des meilleures intentions, avoir un impact sérieux sur les communautés d'accueil, principalement à cause des contraintes structurelles qui découlent de la philosophie axée sur la quête de bénéfices qui impulse le comportement des entreprises.Desempenho da responsabilidade social corporativa no Delta do Níger: Além de duas ortodoxias constitutivas Indo contra o cenário de tentativas de explicar o baixo desempenho da Responsabilidade Social Corporativa (CSR) de corporações de petróleo transnacionais no Delta do Níger no contexto de abordagens e processos equivocados e pacotes de CSR inadequados, este artigo contesta não apenas as explicações para o fracasso da CSR, mas também a ideia central de que a CSR seja capaz de gerar um desenvolvimento sustentável na comunidade. Tendo em vista o enorme desafio de desenvolvimento na região, as corporações não podem, mesmo com as melhores das intenções, promover impacto significativo nas comunidades receptoras, principalmente devido às limitações estruturais que surgem com o objetivo de se buscar lucro que orienta o comportamento corporativo.Resultados de la responsabilidad social corporativa en el Delta del Níger: superando dos ortodoxias fundamentales Frente a las hipótesis que se manejan sobre los fallidos resultados de los métodos de Responsabilidad Social Corporativa utilizados por las corporaciones petroleras trasnacionales en el Delta del Niger, además de sus programas e inversiones de RSC inadecuados, este ensayo analiza las explicaciones del fracaso de la RSC y la idea generalizada de que puede impulsar el desarrollo com...