Traditional rulers in Anambra East Local Government Area have been urged to amend community bylaws to guarantee inclusion of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in leadership positions and natural resources governance.
Executive Director of the Care for the Physically Challenged and Destitute Foundation (CAPCADF), Gloria Nwafor, made the call in an advocacy brief presented to the monarchs, through their Chairman and traditional ruler of Eziagulu-Otu, Igwe Lawrence Anakpulu Nwaofia.
Nwafor, who is also a fellow of the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development’s Intersectional Leadership Incubator (ILI), is currently implementing a project designed to strengthen the participation of PWDs in oil and gas host communities.
According to her, exclusion of PWDs from leadership positions, consultations, development councils, and compensation schemes undermines their fundamental rights and deepens inequality.
“Our old adage says: he who wears the shoes knows where it pinches. There should be nothing about us without us,” she said.
Why inclusion matters
Nwafor noted that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) of 2021 created the Host Communities Development Trust Fund, which requires oil and gas companies to contribute 3% of their annual operating expenditure to communities where they operate.
With the inauguration of Anambra’s Host Communities Executives in May 2025, the state formally joined other oil-producing states to benefit from this fund.
However, she lamented that PWDs remain largely excluded from leadership and decision-making structures of Anambra East host communities, leaving them unable to access development opportunities tied to the fund.
“This exclusion is a violation of Nigeria’s Disability Act of 2018 and contradicts the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), to which Nigeria is a signatory.”
“Persons with disabilities bring unique perspectives and innovative contributions, particularly in equitable resource management and sustainability.”
Capacity building and data collection
As part of her ILI fellowship project, Nwafor is conducting capacity building for selected PWDs on advocacy, digital data collection, and the development of a Demands Charter.
“Using digital tools, trained PWDs are already collecting data across Anambra East communities to establish accurate records that will inform advocacy for inclusion.
She explained that challenges have slowed progress, including requests by town announcers for payment before mobilizing PWDs for data gathering.
“Despite this, we have successfully covered some communities and the process continues.
“Once we analyze the data and identify gaps, we will designed strategies to address their individual and collective needs.
“We will also organize a training workshop on advocacy skills, inclusion strategies, and the provisions of the PIA Trust Fund to empower PWDs to engage effectively with host community leadership.
Stakeholders’ engagement
Nwafor announced plans to hold a stakeholder engagement meeting where she will present findings from the PWDs’ data alongside a Demands Charter and advocate for their inclusion in the Host Communities Trust Fund.
She also revealed that the project will lead to the formation of a local watchdog group of PWDs to monitor implementation of the Charter and report progress or violations quarterly.
This mechanism, she said, will ensure accountability and sustained advocacy beyond the life of the project.
The CAPCADF director called on traditional rulers to lead by example by reviewing bylaws that currently exclude PWDs from leadership positions.
She also urged wealthy and philanthropic individuals in Anambra East to support education, vocational training, agriculture, and entrepreneurship for persons with disabilities.
“We cannot achieve development and sustainable peace in oil and gas host communities without the full inclusion of persons with disabilities,” Nwafor emphasized.
“Strengthening their participation is not just a legal or moral obligation.
“It is a development imperative that ensures we don’t leave anyone behind in the wealth and opportunities derived from our natural resources,” she concluded.
