An Empirical Analysis of Human Rights Compliance in Nigerian Corporate Supply Chains

Human rights compliance in corporate supply chains has emerged as a significant legal and reputational issue globally, and Nigerian companies operating both domestically and internationally face growing obligations under domestic law, investor due diligence requirements, and emerging international supply chain due diligence legislation in export markets including the European Union. This study empirically analyses human rights compliance standards and practices in the supply chains of 30 large Nigerian companies in extractive, manufacturing, and agribusiness sectors. A mixed-methods design combined a supply chain compliance questionnaire with human rights risk mapping and interviews with 20 supply chain managers, human rights lawyers, and civil society representatives. Compliance was assessed against the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and relevant domestic legal obligations. Results indicate that 80 percent of sampled companies had no supplier human rights due diligence policy. Child labour in agricultural supply chains was identified as the highest-risk compliance area, documented in 43 percent of agribusiness supply chains audited. Forced labour risks in extractive sector contractor workforces were present in 28 percent of audited relationships. The study fills an important empirical gap in Nigerian supply chain human rights scholarship and concludes that Nigeria requires a mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence law for large companies. Recommendations include a Nigerian Business and Human Rights Act modelled on French Duty of Vigilance legislation and ILO-guided supplier code of conduct requirements for listed companies.

Keywords: human rights, corporate supply chains, due diligence, UN Guiding Principles, Nigeria