The prevalence of killing of women and girls for ritual is higher than other geopolitical regions in Nigeria. Consequently, Nembe City Development Foundation (NCDF) in Bayelsa State received a total of $90,000 as a counterpart funding from a partnership between PACT Nigeria, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and foundation for Partnership Initiative in the Niger Delta (PIND) under the Advocacy, Awareness, and Civic Empowerment (ADVANCE) program. The funding received was used for a capacity building program – “Add Their Voice to the Budget” (ATVB) – for all GMoU Clusters in Bayelsa State. The program designed to equip the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) Clusters with relevance skills required for peaceful engagement and compliment governments effort in the planning and implementation of the development agenda for the respective communities. A total of 61 representatives from the GMoU Clusters including youth, women leaders, and traditional rulers successfully completed the ATVB training on budget tracking and advocacy skills. Thus, the researchers examined the impact of the multinational oil companies’ CSR using GMoU model on deterring the prevalence of killing of women and girls for ritual in the region. A total of 2,400 women were sampled across the Niger Delta region in Nigeria. The results from the use of logistic regression model indicates that the meagre GMoU interventions specifically targeted at women recorded significant success in improving women’s participation in political, social, and economic activities of the region. The findings suggest that business has an obligation to help in solving problems of public concern.
Professor Joseph Ikechukwu Uduji holds a PhD in Marketing and Public Administration, an MSc in Marketing and Public Relations, an MBA, and an MPA. He is currently the Head of the Department of Marketing at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. His current research interests include social justice, social responsibility, and inequality nexus in developing countries.
Dr. Elda Nduka Okolo-Obasi holds a PhD and MSc in Development Studies from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a BS in Agricultural Economics from Federal University of Technology Owerri, Imo State Nigeria. He is a senior research fellow in the Institute for Development Studies, University of Nigeria.
Dr. Joy Ukamaka Uduji holds a PhD in Human Kinetics and Health Education, an MSc in Nutrition, and a BSc in Nursing from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria. She is the Director of Enugu State Nursing Services. She was the Principal, School of Basic Midwifery, Awgu, Enugu State, Nigeria.