Against the background of some companies engaging on overbloated publicity for CSR projects, an act some stakeholders see as egocentric, a survey conducted by NOI, a research agency has justified MTN Foundation for engaging in noble and altruistic Corporate Social Responsibility because of its deep conviction to give back to the society but with little publication of the projects.
In the NOI report, it was revealed that not many people interviewed know the foundation and its projects but many people know that MTN is involved in good causes. This delighted the guest speaker, Babatunde Fashola, immediate past governor of Lagos State at the MTN Foundation 10 years anniversary to declare that “MTN Foundation stands acquitted of excess publicity”
The less conscious publicity by MTN Foundation for projects is tandem with its philosophy “to ensure that CSR policies and practices in corporate Nigeria are not motivated by the need for publicity, but are driven by genuine commitment to improve the quality of life of the communities where it operates”.
Fashola who spoke on the ‘role of CSR in Nigeria’s sustainable development’ said “if we must make CSR meaningful, then we must ask and reduce how much is spent on publicty against how much is spent on the project”. Adopting an online definition of CSR, which says that CSR is a concept whereby companies decide voluntarily to contribute to a better society, Fashola said CSR must be attributable to corporate, it must be voluntary and seeks to better the society.
The former governor however believed that in judging CSR to meet certain criteria, there should be some standards to ascertain whether companies are spending more on publicity or the projects. “CSR activities in my view should be assisted by some form of regulation and standards but should be a matter for the corporate community, using platforms like the established chambers of Commerce or associations of manufacturers who can draw up a charter of ethics.
“Such regulations must be competitive and scored for public consumption and information so that companies are ranked, evaluated and penalized according to their compliance but there must be no discrimination or penalty for the companies that do not do CSR because it is voluntary”
In engaging on CSR, he said operation action of companies must support development before CSR must assist it. “Therefore, the operational actions of corporations must first contribute to development before CSR can help to sustain it.There is a deep moral issue embedded in CSR. Every CEO must seek to find it, redefine it, improve on it and set even higher standards.”
Arguing against the use of CSR to cover up unethical behaviours by companies, Fashola said MTN Foundation which has provided projects on health, education and housing stands free of any suggestion that it seeks to mask or distract the public from the ethical questions.
MTNF was established in 2005 for the purpose of focusing MTN Nigeria’s efforts in terms of its Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives to help reduce poverty and foster sustainable development in Nigeria. The Foundation which has spent over N13billion on 341 projects sited across the 36 States of the Federation and the FCT, also received commendations many stakeholders who were present that the anniversary.
Daniel Obi
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