The National HydroElectric Power Producing Areas Commission (N-HYPPADEC) has expressed readiness to provide short- and long-term interventions in alleviating the plight of the communities affected by the activities of electric power-producing dams in the country that have resulted in loss of lives, properties, farmlands, as well as livelihoods.
The Managing Director of N-HYPPADEC, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa, gave the assurance during his official visit to Wuya-Kede in Mokwa Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger State to sensitise the people on the importance of the ongoing needs assessment and community mapping exercise, in which some communities were left out three years ago when it was first conducted.
The M.D. of N-HYPPADEC explained that the needs assessment and community mapping exercise will assist in identifying the needs obtained from them, community challenges, and their priorities, which will help the commission understand the actual community needs in order to intervene within the available resources. He urged the communities to cooperate and support the success of the exercise.
Yelwa advised the communities to provide the required and relevant information needed for the successful implementation of the exercise, promising to provide seven hand pump boreholes for the seven village head communities out of the 51 communities under Wuya-Kede Ward.
Alhaji Abubakar described President Bola Tinubu as a listening leader concerned about the overall development of Nigerians, following the commission’s call for an immediate survey and assessment status of all the dams to ensure they do not pose a threat to the host communities and can be used for economic and agricultural developments.
The N-HYPPADEC boss hinted that experience has shown that due to lack of adequate funds to solve their problems for quick intervention, there is a need to embark on short-term interventions with the provision of building materials to identified uplands to ensure safety, and the communities will be trained in modern farming and fishing for a better life.
The seven villages benefiting from hand pump boreholes include Wuya-Kede, Aligeta, Yijuwu, Dobe, Shekpa, Tsogi, and Kpacita.
Earlier, the District Head of Wuya-Kede, Alhaji Musa Abubakar, expressed satisfaction with N-HYPPADEC for the visit. He stated that his community consists of 51 villages and advocated for more intervention projects in his domain.
Musa lamented over the impact of flooding over the years that had resulted in loss of lives, properties, farmlands, animals, and the closure of schools and healthcare centres, as well as a lack of potable drinking water due to annual flooding, saying his people deserve sympathy from all and sundry.
The District Head lauded the commission’s numerous achievements recorded so far while calling for their sustainability for the overall development of the entire communities under the N-HYPPADEC states of the federation.
