The Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) on December 1, 2025, convened a crucial regional meeting in Port Harcourt to produce the Nine Niger-Delta Regional Demand Charter, a unified document advocating for stronger disability inclusion within the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
While the Petroleum Industry Act (2022) outlines benefits for host communities, it does not explicitly provide for the inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). To close this gap, CCD brought together a diverse group of stakeholders—PWD representatives from the nine oil-producing states, oil industry actors, legal experts, MDAs, host community chairpersons, and traditional leaders—to collaborate on a common position.
The regional charter is designed to serve as the official submission to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). It brings together the needs, expectations, and recommendations of PWDs, ensuring that their voices form part of the framework guiding the PIA’s benefit distribution and implementation.
CCD’s Acting Director, Mr. Godwin Unumeri, highlighted the consolidation process, stating: “At CCD, we have taken the nine individual state-level demand charters developed by persons with disabilities and merged them into one unified document. We identified the common areas of concern and harmonized them into a single charter, which we are presenting today.”
Participants from across the nine Niger Delta states rigorously reviewed the draft, enriched it with their contributions, and worked collectively to finalize the document.
CCD expressed optimism that this harmonized regional charter will strengthen advocacy efforts aimed at ensuring persons with disabilities are fully recognized and integrated in the PIA’s benefit structures, decision-making processes, and long-term strategic planning.
Join Inclusive News Network WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.