Abstract

Shell Petroleum Development Company is a subsidiary of the global energy and petrochemical company, the Royal Dutch Shell Group, and operates in more than 140 countries. It is one of the largest independent upstream operators! with limited investments in the downstream sector of the Nigerian petroleum industry. It operates through four autonomous companies: Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Shell Nigeria Gas (SNG), Shell Nigeria Oil Products (SNOP), and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO). Given this strategic position, it wields broad national influence and impacts Nigeria's petroleum-driven economy (. In 2006, oil production from Shell-operated ventures in Nigeria averaged 658,000 t barrels per day; 1,652 million standard cubic feet of gas per day was sold and Shell companies jointly paid $3.5 billion in taxes and royalties. During that period, 477,000 barrels of oil per day were shut in as a result of you the restiveness in the Niger Delta. In Nigeria, very few corpora the bodies practice CSR as it should be, giv < ·n i ts technical, social, philosophical, and practical dimensions. However, Shell Petroleum Development Company by virtue of its operation which brings it in direct contact with the people and environment with varying degrees of impact necessarily require that it pays particular attention to the CSR phenomenon. This thesis, therefore, evaluated the corporate social responsibility m01 le i of Shell m Nigeria through the administration of questionnaires, interviews, and observation in VIII addition to getting the perspectives of the community people, No r -Govenunental Organisations and civil societies, other oil companies, open lea .iers and other stakeholders in the Niger Delta area. At the end of the study and analysis of the data gathered, it became dear that Shell Petroleum Development Company has its best severally to relate well and be socially responsible in its areas of operation in the Niger Delta area. However, the1 e seems to be a disconnect between Shell's self-assessment and the perspectives of the community people who see Shell as not doing enough and in collusion with the government to pauperize them. The study also revealed that inappropriate and inadequate communication is also responsible for the non-appreciation and acceptance of the quantum of i1 impact Shell has made in the area. The study prescribes a rigorous overhaul of Shell's CSR program strategies that would be creative, proactive, unique, cost-effective, inclusive, and sustainable. For Shell's projects to make an appreciable impact, the beneficiaries must see, feel and buy into it. This is a better way to achieve mutually beneficial relationship with their host communities.