Green Human Resource Management, Environmental Commitment, and Sustainability Performance: An Empirical Study of Nigerian Oil Firms

This research empirically examines the mediating role of environmental commitment in the relationship between green human resource management (GHRM) practices and sustainability performance in Nigerian oil and gas firms, with data drawn from Delta and Rivers states in the South South geopolitical zone. Growing regulatory scrutiny and international partner expectations are accelerating sustainability imperatives in Nigeria's petroleum sector, yet the HRM-sustainability linkage through environmental commitment remains underexplored in this context. A quantitative cross-sectional design was adopted with 190 HR managers, HSE directors, and sustainability officers as respondents. Partial least squares SEM was employed. The study tests GHRM dimensions including green recruitment, green training, environmental performance appraisal, and green reward systems against sustainability performance outcomes mediated by employee environmental commitment. Findings reveal that green training and environmental performance appraisal exert the strongest indirect effects on sustainability performance through environmental commitment, while green reward systems showed a direct motivational effect on commitment. The study contributes by demonstrating the role of internalised environmental values as the mechanism through which HRM drives sustainability outcomes, extending GHRM theory into the African oil sector context. Recommendations include integrating environmental competency standards into job design, linking appraisal criteria to sustainability targets, and developing green reward schemes. Keywords: green human resource management, environmental commitment, sustainability performance, oil and gas, Nigeria.