Shell Nigeria’s Global Memorandum of Understanding and corporate-community accountability relations: a critical appraisal

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether Shell Nigeria’s Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) promotes corporate-community accountability as a basis for fostering sustainable community development in the Niger Delta. Design/methodology/approach Shell Nigeria’s GMoU stand-alone reports were analysed through the lenses of accountability and transparency theoretical frameworks to explore the extent to which GMoU, as a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, is dialogically embedded and practised. Meaning-oriented content analysis was deductively used to isolate pertinent themes and generate findings from the background theoretical literature. Findings The authors find that Shell discursively appropriates the meaning of accountability and transparency in a manner that allows it to maintain its social legitimacy and the asymmetric power relations between itself and host communities whilst restricting communities’ agency to hold it accountable. Shell does this by interpreting the notion of participation restrictively, selectively deploying the concept of transparency and accountability and subtly exerting excessive control over the GMoU. Thus, the GMoU’s potential to contribute to sustainable community development and positive corporate-community relation is unlikely tenable. Originality/value Accountability and transparency are core and critical to corporate-community relations and for achieving community development CSR objectives, but are often taken for granted or ignored in the CSR literature on the Niger Delta of Nigeria. This paper addresses this gap in the literature by using accountability and transparency lenses to unpick GMoU model and contribute to studies on CSR practices by oil multinational corporations (MNCs) in developing countries. Indeed, the use of these lenses to explore CSR process offers new insights as to why CSR practices have failed to contribute to sustainable community development despite increased community spending by oil MNCs

Lead Acetate-induced Changes in Haematological Indices and Bone Marrow of Adult Wistar Rats: Protective Role of α-Tocopherol (Vitamin E)

Lead exposure has been associated with several adverse health effects involving multiple body systems and organ failure. Hence, the objective of this paper was to the effects of α-Tocopherol (Vitamin E) on haematological indices and bone marrow of lead acetate (LA)-exposed adult Wistar rats. Twenty (20) adult Wistar rats (n=5) were randomly assigned as follows: Control group (A) received 1ml of distilled water; Group B received 100 mg/kg body weight (BW) of LA; Group C received 50 mg/kg BW of α-Tocopherol and 100 mg/kg BW of LA; Group D received 50 mg/kg BW α-Tocopherol only. All administrations, via an oral gavage, lasted for twenty-eight days. Following the sacrifice of experimental rats, blood samples were collected in Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid bottles for hematological analysis and the femur of rats were fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin for histological evaluation. Results showed that the haematological indices in group B rats were significantly different (P0.05) in the parameters investigated when compared to control. Conclusively, results from this study showed that α-Tocopherol can mitigate the toxic effects of lead on the haematological system, and further studies are needed to corroborate these findings and investigate the mechanisms of action

Evaluation of Ovarian Histomorphology and Function Following Clomiphene Citrate and Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Administration in Wistar Rats

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), affecting 5-10% of women, is a leading cause of infertility affecting 10-15% of couples globally. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and clomiphene citrate (CC) are often utilized for the treatment of PCOS. Accordingly, this study explored the effects of CC and hCG on ovarian histomorphology and fertility parameters. Twenty adult female rats were divided into four groups as follows: Group A (control) received only feed and water; Group B received 0.7 mg/kg BW of CC twice daily for five days and was mated before sacrifice on day 19 (before litter); Group C received 0.7 mg/kg BW of CC twice daily for five days, followed by mating and allowed to litter before sacrifice; Group D received 0.7 mg/kg body weight (BW) of hCG on day one, followed by 0.7 mg/kg BW of CC twice daily for five days, and were mated before sacrifice on day 7 (before litter). Results showed that Group B rats had higher, more than other groups, Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), Estradiol, Testosterone and Prolactin levels when compared to the control. Similarly, rats in Group B had higher levels of Progesterone while Group D had higher levels of Luteinizing hormone (LH) when compared to the control group. Histological findings demonstrated diverse impacts on ovarian structures, ranging from congested blood vessels to haemorrhages and follicular cysts. Consequently, this study underscores the complexities of drug interactions in reproductive health and provides preliminary insights into the possible adverse effects of CC and hCG on the ovary and fertility parameters

Drilling their own graves:How the European oil and gas supermajors avoid sustainability tensions through mythmaking

This study explores how paradoxical tensions between economic growth and environmental protection are avoided through organizational mythmaking. By examining the European oil and gas supermajors’ ‘‘CEOspeak’’ about climate change, we show how mythmaking facilitates the disregarding, diverting, and/or displacing of sustainability tensions. In doing so, our findings further illustrate how certain defensive responses are employed: (1) regression, or retreating to the comforts of past familiarities, (2) fantasy, or escaping the harsh reality that fossil fuels and climate change are indeed irreconcilable, and (3) projecting, or shifting blame to external actors for failing to address climate change. By highlighting the discursive effects of enacting these responses, we illustrate how the European oil and gas supermajors self-determine their inability to substantively address the complexities of climate change. We thus argue that defensive responses are not merely a form of mismanagement as the paradox and corporate sustainability literature commonly suggests, but a strategic resource that poses serious ethical concerns given the imminent danger of issues such as climate change

Corporate social responsibility in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria: the case for a legalised framework

This chapter focuses on the extant corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria. The oil and gas industry has been beset by a lot of problems not limited to violence, kidnappings, eco-terrorism, and maladministration amongst others. One of the strategies of curing or mitigating these inherent problems in the oil and gas sector is the use of CSR initiatives by many oil multinational corporations (MNCs) operating in Nigeria. Notwithstanding that the majority of CSR initiatives in the oil and gas sector in Nigeria are voluntary, this chapter avers that CSR initiatives should be made mandatory by the Nigerian government. Furthermore, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) should play an integral role in the implementation of any legalised framework on CSR that will be developed in the country. This chapter suggests that a CSR law should be developed specifically for the oil and gas industry to mitigate the negative externalities arising from the activities of oil MNCs in the Niger Delta region of the countryN/

Corporate governance and responsibility in Nigeria

To provide an expository on the peculiar dimension of the corporate governance and responsibility phenomenon in developing market economies, we employ a mix of qualitative methods to provide research evidence-based insights into the nature, practice, complexity and environment of governance and accountability in corporate Nigeria. We aim to contribute to the budding literature on corporate governance in sub-Saharan Africa, while providing recommendations for practitioners and policy makers in terms of promoting effective corporate governance in developing countries