Persons with Disabilities have called on the Federal Government to develop a supplementary Petroleum Industry Act that ensures their inclusion in benefit structures outlined in the current law.
The demand was made during a three-day workshop on the PIA and Disability Laws, held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, and organised by the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities.
The event, titled “Ending Barriers Against Niger-Deltans with Disabilities”, was funded by the Ford Foundation.
The PWDs, drawn from various disability clusters in Bayelsa, presented a charter of demands to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, urging the agency to ensure their voices and needs were included in the PIA’s benefit frameworks.
They noted that while the current PIA recognised the interests of women, youths, and traditional rulers, it was silent on the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities.
The group called on NUPRC to mandate Host Community Development Trusts to integrate disability-related concerns in line with the National Disability Act, which stipulated a minimum 5 per cent employment quota for the disability community.
“One key provision of the PIA requires oil companies to contribute 3 per cent of their annual operating expenditure to fund HCDTs, which are responsible for driving development in host communities.”
The demand was made during a three-day workshop on the PIA and Disability Laws, held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, and organised by the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities.
The event, titled “Ending Barriers Against Niger-Deltans with Disabilities”, was funded by the Ford Foundation.
The PWDs, drawn from various disability clusters in Bayelsa, presented a charter of demands to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, urging the agency to ensure their voices and needs were included in the PIA’s benefit frameworks.
They noted that while the current PIA recognised the interests of women, youths, and traditional rulers, it was silent on the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities.
The group called on NUPRC to mandate Host Community Development Trusts to integrate disability-related concerns in line with the National Disability Act, which stipulated a minimum 5 per cent employment quota for the disability community.
“One key provision of the PIA requires oil companies to contribute 3 per cent of their annual operating expenditure to fund HCDTs, which are responsible for driving development in host communities.”