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CSR in Africa
Edited by Josep F. Maria SJ
Introduction
Nigeria's oil industry is located mainly in the Niger Delta region that has been embroiled in oil-related violent conflicts. These conflicts arise from two broad fronts; first, the disputes between the federal government and the oil-communities over the ownership of the oil resources and second, the allocation of benefits and negative consequences of oil exploitation. The federal government lays legal claims to the ownership of all oil resources in Nigeria via a plethora of laws including the constitution. Furthermore, the Land Use Act provides that the all land is vested in the government thereby negating the argument from host-communities that resources beneath their land forms part of the land and belongs to them ([3] Ako, 2009). That notwithstanding, the host-communities still dispute the federal government's claim to exclusive ownership and maintain that they ought to have a share in the ownership of the resources located in their communities. Regarding the allocation of benefits from oil exploitation, the situation presented is that the federal government and its partners; oil-multinationals, derive the positive (pecuniary) benefits from exploiting oil from the Niger Delta while the inhabitants of the region bear all the environmental consequences and socio-economic disadvantages ([24] Hutchful, 1985; [51] Watts, 1988; [22], [23] Human Rights Watch, 2002a, b). The negative impacts of oil on the region may be classified broadly into issues of economic deprivation, social exclusion and environmental injustices have contributed to the escalation of violent conflicts in the region over the years ([16] Eteng, 1996; [40] Oyerinde, 1998; [4] Ako et al. , 2007). These include, for example, the increasing scarcity of arable land (due to the land requirements of the oil-industry and pollution from oil-related activities) to carry out their traditional economic activities of fishing and farming to guarantee their economic sustenance; health hazards related to living in and, feeding from, polluted environmental media; and inadequate compensation for damage done to their land and properties ([16] Eteng, 1996; [22], [23] Human Rights Watch, 2002a, b; [31] Nannen, 1995).
To put the paper in proper context, the federal government and the oil-multinationals are seen as one entity none the least because they operate the oil-industry jointly. The relationship between both parties emanated from the...