Sometimes, a word or phrase may not mean so much to you until it comes into operation in your life. This is the only way one can unfold the brilliant advantages of the expression, Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, which until recently meant very little sense to most people in this country.

Simply put, it is some kind of responsibilities to the environment where an organisation carries out its business activities, benevolent gesture it seems but which is key to the way people look at business operators.

Gestures that are not legally binding but which form the expression of the good health between businesses and their business environment.

Some say the absence of CSR is responsible for the rumpus in some parts of the country because businesses get into an environment, set up operations and permanently harvest profit with very little consideration for the health or welfare of the owners of the land. Some business operators only think of their health and a few who are lucky to get into the system, and those whose health is depreciated react very angrily and the society is hurt and environment troubled. CSR has a healing balm which is often repudiated by most business operators to their own detriment.

An old expression in the corporate community, the full expression of that phrase CRS was first given tangibility by mobile operators and other communication companies who, setting up businesses across the land were looking for something that could bind them to the host communities. They had been encouraged by the regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, to take services to the ends of the country but some of them did beyond that by setting up activities with enduring results on host communities.

And quite interestingly, the regulator not to be out-done came up with policies that could stretch its function beyond the cardinal role of superintending the communications industry but at the same time going into grassroots mobilization and encouragement of talents by providing tools of technology.

The pictures remain indelible in mind of the difference between the old and new virtual libraries which MTN provided to both the Universities of Lagos and ABU Zaria. It was the sharp contradistinction between the heart of darkness and primitivism and the radiance and possibilities of modernity. Hearts will always be melted by the toothpaste smiles of students in some parts of the country when they received delivery of the computers and internet connection facilities sent by the NCC to enable them appreciate the pulse of technology.

There is always a drop of emotion where a CSR project is executed and this endears corporations to their host communities. The only thing is that there is always a yearning for more because the act of humane gesture is fast receding in the land.

Reminded that he is deviated from his core telecom regulation to begin to provide other genres of technology by way of CSR to the society, boss of the NCC, Engr Ernest Ndukwe quickly retorted: "I am not sure we regard it much as corporate social responsibility act; rather, we regard it as part of universal service provision fund, (USPF) because, I tell you the truth, most USPF around the world target the young people, the weak, the remote areas, those who are not reached by the commercial service providers ...schools."

But such is the humility of the man who heads the apex body of the telecoms industry. He would not agree that his organisation is doing anything unusual to affect the society positively. Yet, that gesture has affected a number of schools across the country, from primary to tertiary institutions that by the end of the year, the Commission is envisaging a coverage of 365 schools and that is massive by any estimation.

What really is the NCC doing? For a school that internet would probably be a fairy tale, the Commission would buy a set of computers and a VSAT - very small aperture terminal - to connect the school to the information super highway. It has been a very successful story, and he narrated his encounter with a young school child who brought one of their computers to the airport.

"I was at the airport recently and saw a boy about the age of 9 or 10 carrying one of the laptops that we're providing in these schools. I never met the child before, although I knew his parents. While we were waiting for our flight, this boy brought out this laptop and was doing some graphic designs and complained to me that the broadband was not working at the airport. He was actually wondering why there were no signals and I was explaining to him that there was probably no network within the airport. I sat with this little boy and with that laptop; we drew a football field, a tennis court and several other kinds of exciting things," Ndukwe narrated his experience.

He is encouraged by developments in Ikorodu, a suburb of Lagos where the equipment donated to Oriwu Model College, under the facilitation of Hon. Abike Dabiri Erewa has become an Information Communication Technology Centre which the school is using to organize classes and giving participants certificates in various areas of Computer Appreciation. "We were invited to the school's first batch of students who graduated from the centre and were actually certified having satisfied a regular computer course programme," Ndukwe told us even as he enjoined other beneficiaries to emulate that novel approach.

The MTN story also strikes home. Having done business as a pioneer mobile operator in Nigeria the organisation, quite early pinpointed some essential areas the country was in need and decided on a profound intervention.

"So far, the concept of philanthropy or giving back to the community where we operate is part of the MTN Group philosophy and the whole thing as you may be aware started in South Africa. The MTN philosophy is that every single operating unit in any part of the world where it operates must take an interest in the social aspect of life and must invest in those communities that are the reasons for the existence of MTN as an entity and that make it possible for MTN to be successful.

So that is where it all started from. But I'd like to say that here in Nigeria we have really raised the bar in terms of CSR and I must also proudly say to you that the unique concept and model that we have been able to put together over the last four years is what is now being replicated throughout the group and MTN Nigeria is becoming the company of excellence in terms of how we deploy our own CSR strategy."

That is the summary of the story of the MTN CSR strategy as told by Mrs. Amina Oyegbola, an Executive Director of the MTN Foundation. But in truth, their activities are high-profile and eye-catching and results quite profound and messianic.

Doing a name change from Celtel to Zain weeks ago, the organisation gave little tips of practices that have set it apart anywhere it is doing business around the world.

"Corporate Social Responsibility continues to be high on Zain's agenda, given its historic role in supporting the communities it serves. Zain is committed to helping to open up an exciting world of new possibilities and opportunities in culture, health and education, and acting responsibly in the communities where it operates is an integral part of its business. Zain has pioneered a range of education-based initiatives across Africa and is partnering with governments and communities to help them achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals. For example, in the last year alone, Zain has donated millions of dollars worth of books and educational supplies to government-owned schools in Africa. For example, the company recently partnered international establishments in bringing telephony to 400, 000 people in remote areas and has many community projects across both continents," the organisation said.

Also speaking at a name change ceremony from Reltel wireless to Zommmobile, chief executive of Zoommobile, Mr. Ken Aigbinode, explained the exploits of his organisation which has the widest CDMA footprints in the country and led the dramatic reduction of acquisition cost and tariffs in the industry. With a seeming knock down in call rates, Zoommobile, he said, was able to make terminal available to Umbrella women operating in most parts of the country, giving them a clear lead in that area, which the global telecoms body, ITU, has described as the Umbrella Syndrome unique only to Nigeria. The women, mostly rural, have been able to organise themselves into groups and they are now able to access loans from the banks fro bigger trading activities.

Starcomms obviously is very customer-centric, rising from less than 5,000 subscribers a few years ago to nearly 2million subscribers at the moment, it has become arguably the biggest CDMA operator in the country. The vision was to enable people witness the "Call of Freedom," and that has enabled the organisation to give Nigerians affordable phones. And only penultimate week, the company was honoured by the regulator, NCC, at the 5th anniversary of the Consumer Parliament for having Customer Care Centres in about 18 locations of the country. As the network expands, Satrcomms is able to give Nigerians more phones and so are those who use their phones for call centres getting special rates from the organisation whose dream is to give phones to as many people as possible in the country.