PIA: Group urges N’Delta communities to include women, PLWD in HCDTs

Representatives from various Host Community Development Trusts (HCDTs) across the Niger Delta have been called upon to ensure gender equity and balanced representation by including women and Persons Living With Disabilities (PLWD) in their ranks.

The call was made during a two-day roundtable meeting facilitated by the Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

The meeting, which brought together members of HCDTs from Degema, Andoni, Akuku-Toru, Ogoni, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas (LGAs), and other host communities, discussed key topics such as the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), gender equality, social inclusion, and community needs assessment.

Participants noted the challenges encountered while setting up the structures for implementing the PIA, noting the lack of inclusion of women and persons living with disabilities on most boards and committees.

Indongsit Smart, Programme Manager of Kebetkache, stressed the importance of involving women in HCDT decision-making processes. She stated that the meeting was motivated by the alarming absence of women in HCDT decision-making structures, including boards, management, and advisory teams.

Smart argued that male-dominated committees struggle to address women’s concerns and priorities, stressing that women’s involvement is crucial for accurate community needs assessments.

“Many committees consist almost entirely of men, which limits their ability to address issues important to women, particularly during community needs assessments,” Smart noted.

She encouraged women to pursue adult education to meet qualification requirements often used to exclude them from these committees.

“Also, when we talk about needs assessment, HCDTs must conduct assessments in different communities to identify the actual needs of community members before implementing any project. If women are not part of these sub-committees, who will represent the problems and challenges facing the women?” she added.

READ ALSO: ‘Why Nigeria must revisit PIA’

Meanwhile, a call to action was made for Host Community Development Trusts (HCDTs) in the region to focus on meaningful community development rather than superficial projects.

Dr. Tubodenyefa Zibima, Deputy Director of the Institute for Niger Delta Studies, criticized the current approach of HCDTs, citing ineffective needs assessments and projects that fail to improve the quality of life in these communities.

Zibima argued that projects like building stadiums, town halls, and renovating schools may seem beneficial but do not address the real needs of the communities, such as economic empowerment, access to quality education, healthcare, and infrastructure.

He noted that these projects create a “negative equilibrium,” where communities remain stagnant despite the presence of such developments.

Zibima stressed that current assessments are faulty, leading to misaligned interventions. He stressed that needs assessments should identify the actual needs of communities rather than imposing predetermined solutions.