Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) By Mayor Ndukaku, Esq.

INTODUCTION
Symbiosis has been defined as any type of close and long-term
biological interaction or relationship between two different
biological organisms, be it mutualistic or parasitic.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a corporation’s
initiative to assess and take responsibility for the company’s
effects on environmental and social Wellbeing. Suffice to say, the
fulcrum of Corporate Social Responsibility is to give back to the
society a form of benefit as a result of a corresponding duty of an
institution in taking account of their social, economic and
environmental impact and consideration of human rights.

In relation to the above, the relationship that exists between
institutions, the government and her citizens can best be described
as a mutual symbiosis, where the government, the institutions and
the citizens benefit from one another. The implication of this
relationship is to ensure a constant growth and development of
human capacity, economy, education health, etc., through the
instrumentality of various Corporate Social Responsibilities
(CSR).

Corporate Social Responsibility has in no small measure
positively affected the lives of Nigerians at large in diverse
means and areas of endeavor. Historically, there has been a
consistent growth and development in different areas, as a result
of Corporate Social Responsibility embarked by institutions.

GENERAL BACKGROUND OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN
NIGERIA
The effects of globalimtion and global capitalism was the
domineering issue in late 1980s. Scholars all over Nigeria engaged
in diverse means of exploration in order to profer solution to
wealth creation. As a result of the continued obvious disparity in
the income of nations, the need for a strong and moral ecology
which reflects the social and cultural mores of the society.

Nevertheless, the reality of this development needed the support
of both the government, stakeholders and private business sectors;
hence, it is somewhat difficult to not to consider the private
business sector as one of the main stakeholders in transforming and
improving the society.

Corporate Social Responsibility, being the set of standards to
which a company Subscribes in Order to make its impact on society,
has the potential to make positive contributions to the development
of society and businesses. More and more organisations are
beginning to see the benefits from setting up strategic Corporate
Social Responsibility agenda. Studies have shown that CSR is
spreading over the world and in recent years, a large number of
methods and frameworks have been developed, the majority being in
the West.

In the opinion of (Amaechi .4di, Ogbechie & Amao 2006) with
regard to Nigeria, studies on CSR do exist, however, the larger
concentration seem to be on multinational companies and less
neither On indigenous companies nor on the regional contexts in
which the companies operate. This opinion however, may not be
relevant anymore, considering the fact that a lot of developments
on CSR from indigenous institutions have largely been recorded over
the years. A plethora Of instances include but not limited to the
following:

l . NNPC annual quiz competition centered on the study of
science, engineering, mathematics and technology, which started in
2000 exclusively for Niger Delta indigenes but subsequently applied
to all citizens of Nigeria in 2001. This helped in providing a
level field for students irrespective of gender and social
background across Nigeria.

2. SE PLAT Petroleum conducted 2017/2018 National undergraduate
scholarship PEARLS quiz, Post-primary scholarship programme,
empowerment /capacity building, safe motherhood programme, Eye can
see programme, Building community relationships through stewardship
initiatives.

3. TOTAL Nigerian Plc. conducted skill acquisition, total job
shadow 2017 Essay competition awards, corporate sponsorship of a
house with the SOS children’s villages in Nigeria.

Financial institutions have not been left out in the pursuit of
CSR. They have taken a different dimension. E.g., environmental
beautification, environmental protection renewal, etc.

From the foregoing, it is beyond mere words to asseverate that
CSR has taken a strong root in our various communities and the
society at large especially, On the part of our indigenous
institutions.

INNOVATIVE SOCIAL INITIATIVES
Institutions have engaged in diverse CSR initiatives that has in no
small measure •affected the lives of the citizens positively. Below
are some of the innovative social initiatives that can be employed
to strengthen the goal of corporate social responsibility.

l . Entrepreneurs Empowering – This is one of the ways to make a
long lasting impact on the society through CSR. Here, financial
institutions can give out unsecured/minimal loans to small scale
business Owners to help tackle unemployment and strengthen the
spirit of entrepreneurship; creating financial independence amongst
Nigerian youths.

2, Partnerships with NGOS- CSR should not be done as a form Of
competition either to impress or please anyone, rather, should be
done with the mindset of achieving a positive impact in the society
through collaborative means. For instance, a non-governmental
organization committed to improving healthcare can partner with an
institution to deliver quality Corporate Social help in that
area.

3. Methodology- it is paramount at this point to mention that
the viability of Corporate Social Responsibility is dependent on
the extent of its classification to various sectors. In other
words, various organisations should be tied down to a particular
sector. By this, the impact of CSR will be felt and the need sought
to be addressed would be done based on necessity. For instance,
legal institutions engaged in CSR should not go about sharing books
to students, rather, should be more concerned with sensitizing
people on their rights, strengthen public interest litigation,
probono legal services, etc. this same principle applies to every
institution involved in CSR.

CONCLUSION
In the course of my research, I discovered that a lot of
institutions have been engaged in almost all the above mentioned
Corporate social initiatives. Nevertheless, the issue of
sustainability has remained unresolved. In an interview with a bank
staff, I discovered that they hardly sustain a particular corporate
social initiative. For instance, scholarship grants, medicals, etc.
Personally, the impact of CSR in any given society can be felt
through sustainability.