From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
Chairman of the Governing Council of the Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC) Terfa Ityav has reinstated the Commission’s commitment to making sure all forms of ecological challenges in host communities are eradicated by the end of the year.
Ityav made this disclosure at the opening ceremony of the third governing council meeting of the commission held in Abuja, yesterday. He said though they are yet to release a record of any completed project, before the end of the year all the Federal Government targeted projects would be completed.
He explained that the commission’s main mandate is to address hardships faced by host communities as a result of ecological challenges.
He further added that the commission is working with host communities as well as relevant authorities to ensure that these affected communities are restored to their past state.
‘One of the key mandates of HYPPADEC is ecological control of the challenges most states have suffered for a long time. During our tour to member states, we realised that damages the states have suffered are different from state to state,’ he explained.
‘This year we are still carrying out an interstate assessment to be able to see the magnitude of work we need to do in every state. Our plan is to ensure that between this year and next, these problems will be a thing of the past, so we are working with experts even the host communities to see how we can eradicate the hardship that host communities are going through as a result of ecological challenges.
‘We will from time to time have an interface with the host communities, to know their needs before we can be able to address them. In places where we need to educate the people on some sensitive matters that they need to know, we can do that through their traditional leaders. During the time of flooding if we are able to get forecast and collaborate with relevant authorities to alert the people on those areas to stay away.”
HYPPADEC Managing Director Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa stated in his remarks that the body is mainly after the welfare of the grassroots and would make sure most of the challenges confronting them are being addressed.
