The Acting Director of Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), Godwin Unumeri, has called for an amendment to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), to capture the needs of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) in Nigeria’s oil producing communities.
He made the call on Wednesday, in Benin, Edo State, while speaking at a three-day workshop organized in conjunction with the Ford Foundation, to develop a demand charter to push for the inclusion PWD in oil-producing communities across the country.
He emphasised the need for equity in host communities under the PIA 2021.
Unumeri who recalled that the PIA was signed into law in 2021, noted that nearly two decades of advocacy after, but failed to capture disability-specific concerns.
According to him, CCD’s founder, David Anyaele, made submissions during deliberations, but the final Act overlooked the needs of disabled persons living in host communities.
“CCD is now advocating for a supplementary bill to address the exclusion and secure rightful benefits for PWDs under the PIA framework.
“The PIA mandates a structure involving Boards of Trustees, Host Community Development Trusts, and advisory committees for project planning and resource distribution,” he said.
Unumeri lamented that PWDs were often excluded during needs assessments despite sharing the same oil-related hardships as other residents in host areas.
He noted that environmental disasters disproportionately affected PWDs, who were less able to evacuate or adapt due to physical and economic limitations.
“Historically, development efforts from independence through the NDDC era have ignored disability inclusion, relying instead on unpredictable charitable interventions,” he added.
He, therefore, argued that development for PWDs should be structured, not left to charity or discretionary goodwill from oil firms or government agencies.
“The PIA requires communities to form development trusts registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to access benefits from oil companies.
“Under the law, oil firms must allocate three percent of prior year operational costs to fund development projects within their respective host communities,” he emphasised
Unumeri stated that most PIA funds were channeled into youth and women empowerment schemes, often sidelining persons with disabilities entirely from planning and benefits.
He assured that the CCD’s demand charter would come up after the workshop aimed to document and voice the specific needs of PWDs and push for inclusion through legislative action.
“The charter will be submitted to federal authorities to advocate for a supplementary Act that explicitly guarantees PWD participation and benefit.
“CCD envisions PWD representation in Boards of Trustees and other decision-making bodies to ensure their needs are addressed from inception, not afterthought.
“Ultimately, CCD seeks recognition of PWDs as contributors to local development, not as burdens awaiting help from oil revenue distributions,” he stated.
In her remarks, JONAPWD chairperson in Edo State, Mrs Ann Ojugo, thanked CCD for promoting and protecting the rights of PWDs in Nigeria.
Ojugo stated that many PWDs were unaware of the PIA, let alone how they could benefit from it due to lack of accessible information.
She emphasised that PWDs were frequently excluded from government programmes and policies, highlighting the need for inclusive planning and equitable participation in developmental efforts across sectors.
During the workshop, Florence Attah, CCD technical officer, educated participants on disability rights and noted that the government still failed to mainstream and prioritise issues affecting the PWD community.
