Abstract
The presence of multinational oil corporations in Nigeria – which include Agip, Chevron, Elf, Mobil, Shell, and Total among others have come with heavy consequences to the nation’s cultural heritage and identity in the global marketplace. This is particularly the case in the Niger delta region of Nigeria considered as the goose that lays the golden egg, that is, oil, which has been described in many quarters as a major source of the nation’s malaise. The cultural and environmental damage of oil exploration as well as the pauperisation of the locals is inextricably linked to the ruse of global capitalism, which destroys the culture of the periphery nations among other reverses. Apart from other devastating effects of oil exploration by the multinationals, a cardinal consequence of oil exploration is the cultural implication of this practice, which this paper will be interrogating. In cataloguing the cultural implications of this practice, a consequentialist approach will be adopted, which looks at the ethical dimension as well as the morality of actions by the multinationals in the region, including the corporate social responsibility implications of the actions. This is because culture is a cardinal component of determining the effects of cross-cultural business operations in the region as well as a veritable platform of gauging national development in the global marketplace. It is therefore necessary to dimensionalise the implications of multinationals presence in the Niger delta for sustainable national development, competitiveness and productivity.
