Persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Edo on Friday urged the federal government to amend the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 to reserve five per cent of jobs in oil companies for them.

The call was part of a charter developed by PWDs at the end of a three-day workshop in Benin.

The workshop focused on securing the inclusion of PWDs in benefit structures outlined in the PIA across the Niger Delta region.

The Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) facilitated the workshop with the theme “Ending Barriers Against Niger Deltans with Disabilities (EBAND)”, which produced the final document.

One key demand in the charter was that, in line with the national disabilities law, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) should ensure that oil companies employ at least five per cent of PWDs in host communities.

Other demands included in the charter called on NUPRC to include PWDs in Host Communities Development Trusts (HCDTs) and ensure that PIA-funded projects were accessible to them.

They also called for healthcare access, educational scholarships, and proper data collection on PWDs living in oil-producing host communities.

PWDs further urged their inclusion in the assessment of host community needs to ensure their interests were properly represented and addressed.

The group called for the integration of disability rights into trust deeds and the operational frameworks guiding host communities’ development activities.

In his closing remarks, Godwin Unumeri, acting director of CCD, said the charter reflected Edo PWDs’ unified voice calling for inclusion in PIA  frameworks.

Mr Unumeri said the workshop, supported by the Ford Foundation, was committed to ensuring PWDs were not excluded from PIA implementation processes.

He urged PWDs to actively seek appointments across Edo’s economic sectors, cautioning them not to rely solely on philanthropic gestures from the government.

Ann Ojugo, chairperson of Edo JONAPWD, expressed gratitude to the CCD and Ford Foundation for their continued support of disability-focused programmes in the state.

She pledged to share key lessons from the workshop with PWDs in local government areas who were unable to attend to ensure wider reach and impact.

(NAN)