The tripartite Committees investigating the implementation of corporate social responsibility by multinational oil companies and other corporate bodies in the South-South Region of the country have threatened to issue warrant of arrests on the headship of the companies that failed to honour their summons.
The chairman of the tripartite committees Hon Professor Obiageli Lilian Orogbu frowned at the failure of some major oil companies to attend the investigative hearing which held at the National Assembly complex Wednesday.
Professor Orogbu warned that she and her co-chairmen as well as the entire members of the committees would not hesitate to deal with any organization that failed to respect the assignment investigative panel.
“The House has asked us to carry out this exercise based on quantum of petitions from host communities against most of you and we will not take kindly with any organizations that decide to undermine this assignment” Professor Orogbu stressed.
Professor Orogbu who had in her opening remarks emphasized that the essence of the investigative hearing was borne out of genuine intention of the parliament to see that corporate bodies operating in Nigeria keep to the best practices of corporate and environmental behaviours within their host communities acknowledged that “reports at the disposal of the parliament showed that a lot of you are lagging behind in this regard”.
“We want to see a change and also ensure that what you do as corporate social responsibility to your hosts are commensurate with the level of businesses you do. Some of you observe corporate social responsibility in other countries you operate but you fail to do same here because nobody cares.
“We want a new Nigeria and we need you to work together with the government to rebuild this country. I know that some of you are doing quite well but there are many of you that are not responsible enough “. The chairman further stressed.
Members were also not happy that only Chevron was the international oil major that honoured the invitation though all the companies that attended the hearing didn’t come with the evidences of what they had done for their host communities and for that reason, the meeting was rescheduled for another date which will be communicated to them by the secretariat.
The committees involved in the investigative hearing are the Corporate Social Responsibility, NigerDelta Development Commission and that of Host Communities.