The Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC) says it needed more and adequate funding to achieve the people-oriented objectives of its establishment.
The Managing Director of HYPPADEC, Alhaji Abubakar Yelwa, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Minna.
He said that the enormous task of the commission was to see to it that Nigerians enjoyed the dividends of the resources and siting of projects in their areas.
The HYPPADEC is charged with the responsibility of formulating policies and guidelines for the development of Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas and managing ecological menace due to operations of dams and other hydroelectric power activities.
Yelwa said that these responsibilities had been neglected for a long time and it was only the tenacious capability and commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari that the commission started its operations.
‘’As you know the bill for the establishment of this commission was signed into law in 2010 but we started operations in 2021. President Muhammadu Buhari was committed to end the suffering of the people in these hydroelectric sites.
‘’The challenges of development, health, education, employment and empowerment were among various others. The commission is here to address all these challenges in order to make the people feel the impact of government and the companies sited in their areas.
‘’So, you see funding cannot be overlooked. We thank the administration for taking the initiative to commence this challenges task and it is the wish of the inaugural board members to leave a positive legacy for the future,’’ he said.
Yelwa said that the activities of the commission since 2021 can be seen across the catchment areas, adding that it was a lifesaving impact.
NAN reports that similar commissions were set up by the Federal Government to bring dividends to Nigerians that economic infrastructure where located in their areas.
The Oil Mineral Producing Areas development Commission (OMPADEC) was established by decree No. 23 of July, 1992 for the twin purpose of rehabilitating and developing the Oil Mineral Producing Areas of Nigeria which had been subjected to the devastating effects of ecological destruction and environmental pollution.
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) was also created in 2000 largely as a response to the demands of the population of the Niger Delta, a populous area inhabited by a diversity of minority ethnic groups.
Yelwa said on assumption of office, the commission discovered that the major issues in the host communities were that during rainy seasons, the communities become devastated and their farms, homes, schools, hospitals and business premises are flooded.
“The ecological challenges they are faced with are enormous, which deprive them of the chances to improve even on their livelihoods, those are the major challenges the communities are really going through.
He stated that over 227 political wards were assessed to know their basic needs and challenges and their most pressing needs in order of priority.
“As a result of the exercise we identified over 150 communities that need immediate pipe-borne water, and so we submitted a no objection request for the need for public procurement for the award of solar-powered boreholes to over 120 communities,’’ he said.(NAN)
