The Corporate Caregivers

Eroton Exploration and Production Company is leading the charge in attending to its community needs, writes Solomon Elusoji

Corporate Social Responsibility, the idea that businesses should strive to ‘give back’ to their communities, has a long, cherished history. In his book ‘The Social Responsibilities of Business’, Morrell Heald posited that the idea and practice of CSR started to gain traction in the early years of the 20th century, but its roots reach back at least into the 19th Century, and far earlier if one recognises that the earliest corporations were founded with public goals and public interest objectives, as well as private economic objectives in mind.

In Nigeria, there are thousands of businesses in existence, but only a handful can be said to be involved in effective CSR. One of such companies is Eroton Exploration and Production (Eroton E&P) Company Limited, a leading Nigerian energy company which was incorporated in August 2013 and began full operations on May 15, 2015. Eroton’s core business emerged after it submitted a successful bid for a 45 per cent total interest in OML 18 from Shell Petroleum Development Company, Total E&P Nigeria Limited and Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited, an asset which it gained full acquisition of in October 2014.

As an integrated Oil and Natural Gas Exploration and Production Company, Eroton is uniquely positioned for growth in the oil-rich Niger-Delta area of Nigeria and its management has continued to add value to its stakeholders through successful full-cycle oil and gas exploration and development, exemplary leadership in ethics, integrity and environmental protection.

The company’s business is conducted via its head office in Lagos State and a branch office strategically located in Port Harcourt, Rivers State that oversees the operations at the fields. To date there are over 11 developed fields comprising the following; Alakiri, Akaso, Asaritoru, Buguma, Bille, Cawthorne Channel, Orubiri, Krakama, Ibibio, Tema and Awoba. The head office, branch office and the fields are linked by state-of-the-art technologically advanced systems. Also there are considerable numbers of hydrocarbon prospect within the OML 18 asset to be explored. In line with the vision to build a world-class organisation, Eroton has sourced a highly skilled and motivated team with in-depth knowledge in Upstream Oil and Gas operations combined with a young and dynamic workforce that is proudly 100 per cent Nigerian.

Eroton’s commitment to positively improve lives in the local communities of its operations is the primary focus of its CSR programme. The company has developed strong relationships within its communities through the provision of essential long-term programmes, while ensuring that all initiatives promote health and well-being while being environmentally conscious.

According to a statement from the company, “Eroton strives not only to be compliant with local content laws as issued by the Nigerian Content and Development Monitoring Board (NCDMB) but ensures its active compliance with the spirit of the law, ethical standards and national or international norms. It recognises the need to assess and take responsibility for its actions and inactions on the environmental and social well-being of its host community.
“Eroton endeavours to go above and beyond the requirements by regulators, environmental protection and interest groups, non-profit organisations and host community activities. The objective is to develop and implement a wide variety of strategic initiatives to achieve greener business operations and specifically aligned to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for the year 2015.”

In carrying out its CSR activities, the company keeps in mind some strategic objectives, which include: the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, the attainment of universal primary education, the promotion of gender equality and women empowerment, the reduction of child mortality and improvement in maternal health. Others include a campaign against diseases such as HIV/AIDs and malaria, environmental sustainability and the initiation of global partnerships that spur development.

One of the driving forces of the company’s CSR policy also stems from its observation of a decline in CSR investments by Nigerian companies, perhaps due to the recent economic recession. Rather than be weighed down by worries of diminishing revenue, the Eroton leadership team has adopted a proactive strategy to integrate CSR by working closely with its host communities to implement tailor made CSR projects.

“The Chairman of our Board of Directors, Onajite Okoloko and Executive Management of Eroton E & P are determined to engage leaders of our host communities in the Niger Delta region to ensure all developmental projects are beneficial and positively accepted,” the statement from the company said. “Eroton E & P company limited lives up to one of its core values of “Care for people and environment” through a strategic restoration of a mutually beneficial relationship with its host communities. Eroton consistently takes pride in identifying with and giving back to the people and the environment, with CSR methodologies as a strategic tactic to gain host community support for their presence in Nigerian oil industry.”

To achieve its vision of becoming the leading indigenous producer of hydrocarbon in Nigeria, the company has successfully executed several developmental projects in its host communities, some of which include: the supply of drugs to Ilomatoru community; supply of drugs to Isaka community; rehabilitation of Sumo handheld pump at Offiominama community; rehabilitation of Sumo handheld pump at Ogu community; online Post Graduate Scholarship Award to 23 beneficiaries in OML 18 communities; supply of medical; equipment to Bille Primary Health Centre; donation to the House of Oduduwa Foundation to rehabilitate 20 orphanages around Nigeria including other support initiatives within OML 18.

This year, the company paid WAEC fees for 1,250 students pooled from all the OML18 communities. Also, they are currently sponsoring 10 students in an American University.
The results of these developmental initiatives, the company believes, illustrates the potential of CSR to improve the social and environmental situation of the country and affect, positively, the legislative, administrative and entrepreneurial context.