Unmasking The Power Of Community Relations In Promoting The Socio-Economic Deficiency In The Niger Delta

Abstract

The perennial community relations induced conflict between corporate organizations and their host communities especially the multinational oil and gas exploring and production companies in the Niger Delta calls for investigation because of its socio-economic hardship and effects on the organization and the host communities. This unwanted scenario inspired this paper. The paper is anchored on systems theory as applied in public relations or community relations practice. The paper also relied on descriptive and desk research for its data gathering. Consequently, the study observed the following as some of the causes of the socio-economic problems bedeviling corporate organizations especially the multinational oil companies in the Niger Delta: lack of proactive Corporate Social Responsibility projects and programmes, adoption of gunboat-diplomacy and militarization community relations, poor community relations policy, application of divide-rule-community relations policy, pollution of the environment, lack of payment of royalty to host communities, poor employment policy for host communities, etc. To addressing these plethora of problems, the paper advocates for a paradigm shift from the handlers of community relations policies of the corporate organizations in the planning and implementation of community relations policies to avoid suspicion and hostility in their communities of operations. The paper equally advocates for adoption of proactive community relations and corporate social responsibility by corporate organizations particularly the multinational oil and gas companies rather than the present gunboat diplomacy, militarization and fire brigade community relations.