Business Ethics in Nigeria

Résumé du document

The oil exploration and gas flaring in Niger represents more than 350 billion dollars of incomes for the last 40 years, but 75% of the population lives with less than one dollar per day. The population there just survives. The Nigerian government made in the middle of the century some partnerships and licenses with big companies to allow them to explore the ground. Since then, the Niger Delta is run by these multinational firms in a context of violence, violation of human rights and environmental problems. The Niger Delta is a source of a lot of conflicts. There's a real gap between the incomes and revenues generated by the oil exploration and the life level of the local population, which is decreasing. This has lead to a lot of conflicts between the oil companies which are destructing the possible sources of income for the local population, such has the ground, the government which does not help the population with the income of oil production, and the population is frustrated for not being able to use their area. These conflicts are shown by the increase in violence, with the proliferation of armed groups. These groups are trying to show the government and the companies that the population does not agree in being exploited this way.

Extraits

[...] On an ethical point, should the company stay in the Niger delta? a. The production is decreasing The government has decided in 2008 to take more and harder measures against the activists. So the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has asked to foreign workers of the oil companies to leave the country before it could go worth. The president has asked to punish anyone who “touches” to these installations and to increase the safety of the infrastructures. [...]

[...] The national company possesses a major participation of joint ventures. Most of the Niger Delta is used for the oil industry and we can see almost everywhere some installations. In this area, one company manage and his responsible for his ground. In the Niger Delta, the bigger manager is Shell Petroleum Development Company, which is a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell. Its area of 31000 square kilometres is covered by thousands of kilometres of oil pipelines and scattered with wells and with pumping plants. [...]

[...] That is why a win-win solution has to be found. These solutions could be to share in a better way, that is to say more equitable, the revenues of this industry in order to create employments and probably other different incomes. Indeed, if the government uses these revenues to develop the country and other industries, it could be the best solution for the future. Oil is not unlimited and the government has to prepare his country while creating new revenues and new industries. [...]

[...] The consequences if the exploitation stop for the population and the government For the local population, the stop of the exploitation of the area could be good because it could permit to limit the pollution due to this industry. In fact, with a help of the government, the fields could become more fertile and the water fit for the consumption. On the other way, the population could pay it. That is to say that the government will not get enough money to help them and to develop the country. The incomes would decrease a lot because it is the major part of the national economy. [...]

[...] All the persons related to this industry should be able to take part of the success of this sector. The local population should be happy to have a great natural resources which permit to get huge incomes, but at the condition that the companies and the government help them and do not destroy their environment. The main weakness of this concept is that it is impossible concretely to make it real. The minorities, such as the militias could not be involved into this general happiness because it does not take in account the economic fact. [...]