Crisis Communication of the Nigeria LNG Limited

Nigeria LNG delivers 10% of the world’s LNG requirements and is jointly owned by NNPC, NNI, Shell and Agip. The company knew that they had to find a manner in which to give back to the community. Nigeria LNG became the sponsor of a Nigerian literature competition as one of their main corporate social responsibility programmes. However in 2009, 160 entries were received, a short list of 9 entries was made but judges could not decide on a winner. This resulted in bad media coverage that quickly spiralled out of control. NLNG met with stakeholders and ran articles that targeted all involved stakeholders and finally the negative media coverage was managed within 3 months without boycotting the competition.

The focus of the crisis management was always on stemming the flow of negative press, securing the loyalty of Nigerian writers, affirming the integrity of the prize and reinforcing the commitment of the Nigeria LNG toward excellence and community upliftment. The decision was made to donate the prize money to the partner of the Nigeria LNG in the programme, the Nigerian Academy of Letters. Finally the crisis was handled without any hindrance to local, regional or international business. By staying true to the core values of Nigeria LNG and having a specific message in the CSR programme as well as the crisis managed, the crisis was swung around to once again positioning Nigeria LNG as a company that is committed to integrity and excellence in the minds of the Nigerian people.