The North East Stakeholders Forum for Sustainable Development (NESFSD) has expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Managing Director of the Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC), Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa, for the release of ₦80 billion to Nigerian agencies and state governments for flood control.
In a statement distributed to newsmen in Bauchi and signed by the National Chairman, Alhaji Murtala Sule Jalingo, and the Secretary General, Comrade Danladi Bawa Gombe, the forum described the intervention as timely and necessary.
“The intervention came at the right time for the right purpose. It is a proactive step and we call for more funding to effectively address the looming flood challenge,” the statement said.
The group noted that the funds will be judiciously utilized to reduce the impact of torrential rains that threaten widespread flash floods across HYPPADEC states and other parts of Nigeria.
The forum commended the exemplary leadership of the Managing Director, saying he consistently drives HYPPADEC projects to completion through regular reviews of ongoing projects, assessment of programme implementation, and the development of strategies to improve service delivery across member states.
The statement added that Yelwa’s approach to ensuring quality service delivery provides opportunities to evaluate the performance of various departments and divisions, identify operational challenges, and receive feedback from field offices to strengthen project implementation.
The group further noted that under Yelwa, HYPPADEC has sustained yearly flood preparedness campaigns through early sensitization in flood-prone communities months before the rainy season. The Commission has also carried out several interventions in its catchment communities in Gombe and Taraba States.
“HYPPADEC has prioritized interventions that directly impact people’s daily lives, unlike many organizations that focus largely on internal development,” the group said. It also commended the Commission’s efforts to mitigate ecological damage arising from hydroelectric power operations and to promote sustainable development in host communities.
In Gombe State, HYPPADEC’s interventions include:
- Supply of 1,100 life jackets
- Provision of an operational flying boat to Kupto Community
- Installation of solar streetlights
- Construction of solar-powered boreholes
- Desilting of drainages
- Construction of classrooms
- Payment of NECO fees for indigent students
In Taraba State, the Commission delivered:
- A 33-seater boat and safety facilities
- Distribution of 32 power tiller machines to farming cooperatives
- Provision of two flying boats along the Lau–Karim Lamido and Ibi–Wukari axes to enhance emergency response and mobility
- Desilting of blocked drainages and culverts covering about 40,000 linear metres across several LGAs to mitigate flooding
- Supply and installation of transformers in parts of Jalingo
- Payment of NECO external examination fees for students from power-producing communities
- Deployment of two water buses to improve transportation for residents of riverine communities
The group expressed happiness that the Commission is living up to the objectives of its establishment.
The statement also recalled that Nigerian authorities have cautioned that millions of Nigerians living in low-lying and vulnerable communities could face severe flooding if the current downpour persists.
