International Journal of Social Science And Human Research ISSN(print): 2644-0679, ISSN(online): 2644-0695 Volume 04 Issue 05 May 2021 DOI: 10.47191/ijsshr/v4-i5-38, Impact factor-5.586 Page No : 1191-1197 IJSSHR, Volume 04 Issue 05 May 2021 www.ijsshr.in Page 1191 Effective Corporate Social Responsibility (Csr) Delivery as Panacea for Restiveness and Conflict in The Niger Delta: Role of The Mass Media Aghogho L. Imiti 1 , Elo Ibagere 2 1,2 Department of Theatre Arts Faculty of Arts Delta State University Abraka, Nigeria. (ORCID identifier: 0000-0002-7319-1843) ABSTRACT The Niger Delta has been a cauldron of restiveness and violent conflicts. Most of these conflicts result from the failure of the multinational corporations operating in the region to adequately discharge their Corporate Social Responsibility to the people. It is against this backdrop that this paper examines the issue of Corporate Social Responsibility as the panacea for the restiveness and conflict in the region as we as the crucial role the mass media have to play in assisting the corporate organisations to effectively discharge their obligations to the people. It is propounded here that failure to disseminate relevant information in this regard has led to mistrust and misunderstanding which eventually culminate in restiveness and conflict. The role of the media is therefore equally examined. The paper discovers that the media are constrained in the performance of this role. These constraints are presented and ways of tackling them are proffered. KEY WORDS: Conflict, Corporate Social Responsibility, Development, Mass Media,Niger Delta, Nigeria, Restiveness, INTRODUCTION The Niger Delta refers to the coastal area of Nigeria where the river Niger empties its contents into the Atlantic Ocean. It has been described by Eyinla and Ukpo, and World Bank (as citied in Omodero, C.O, Ekwe, M.C. & Ihendinihu, J.U., 2018) as “the most extensive mangrove forest regions in the world” (p.165). It is an area endowed with oi l mineral resources which Nigeria, as a country depends on for its economic survival. The region, “where most of Nigeria’s oil reserves are found” (Uyiosa, 2018), ac counts for a substantial part of the Gross National Product (GNP) of the country. Despite the natural endowment of the Niger Delia with its economic potentials, the region remains one that is in dire need of development. The exploration and exploitation of oil by multinational companies are activities that have resulted in restiveness and conflict in the area. The several conflicts have been either against the government and the oil companies or inter-communal clashes in which members of the community rise up in arms against themselves. The problem, in most cases, is the need for equitable sharing of resources or for the government to develop the area. The need to develop the area stems from the fact that the region gets far less than it should from the government, based on its contribution to the country’s revenue. Again, the exploration and exploitation of oil remains quite devastating. From time to time, the region has continued to suffer the effects of oil spillage either due to the oil companies’ lackadaisical attitude to the people’s welfare, as they neglect to adopt international standards of exploration, or through sabotage by criminals who continue to wreak havoc on the nation’s economy by bursting oil pipes to sc oop the product for personal benefits. Thus, the environment remains devastated with the people’s traditional means of livelihood such as fishing and farming adversely affected. The people have become relatively, the most disadvantaged in the world, compared with the standard of living of other people having similar economic potentials in other parts of the world. In view of the above-described scenario, the region has remained one of the most unsafe for human existence, with its attendant degeneration into a militant enclave generally. Insecurity remains high as kidnapping, armed robbery, murder and other nefarious activities continue to be daily occurrences. Even then, the environment cannot as a result of pollution effectively support human habitation. Most parts cannot provide or sustain portable drinking water due to pollution of the soil by spilled oil. Most times the spillage that seeps from burst pipes is left unattended to by the oil companies which results in further devastation of the environment. These companies would often engage in the argument that criminals involved in bunkering were responsible for such spillages and they absolve themselves of any liability including paying compensation to the people affected. Such an argument, untenable as it sounds, does not even incline government to compel even a quick response to reduce the damage such spillage does to the environment. It must equally be noted that the resort to oil bunkering by those referred to as criminals is borne out of the need