CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AS PANACEA FOR GAS FLARING IN THE NIGERIAN OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY

Gas flaring is one of the main factors that accounts for environmental pollution in Nigeria. This is commonly found in the oil producing states of the country and its effect is significantly deleterious to the environment as well as the people around the area, by extension the country and the world at large. The flaring of gas is mostly carried out by the oil and gas companies which are mostly foreign companies. Nigeria’s weak laws and policies on gas flaring make it quite easy for the foreign companies to flare gas as a cheaper option than re­ injecting the unwanted associated gas back into the well. The paper argued that despite the cracks in the policies and laws of Nigeria, especially in the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, the companies must embrace international best practices in their dealings. They must be aware that flaring gas does not only affect the people within the areas where they associated gasses are flared but contributes to climate change which is a menace that affects the world at large. The corporate social responsibility by the oil and gas companies towards the protection of the environment should be an important aspect of their dealings in the exploration and production of oil and gas. Though CSR is not part of the primary obligations or duties of corporations, it has become a yardstick for measuring the moral values towards communities where they operate, research based on the analysis of existing scholarly works and laws, the article adopted the doctrinal method of research. The work concluded and recommended that the CSR of corporations should not only be towards the community but should also extend towards not taking undue advantage of the laws that permit them in exceptional cases to flare associated gas.