By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja.
Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC) has proposed an overall resource requirement of N359,277,449,265.52 to finance its five-year Medium Term Strategic Plan for 2022-2027
The Commission also requires a total indicative investment size of iN323,349,704,339 to fund its interventions over the next five years.
Mr Sam Juwe, a consultant with the Commission disclosed this while presenting the Proposed HYPPADEC Medium Term Strategic Plan (HMTSP) for 2022-2027 at a Stakeholders Forum on Thursday in Lokoja.
Juwe said that the figure was arrived at following a baseline study conducted by the Commission in flood-ravaged communities from the HYPPADEC states in the country.
He said that the essence of the HMTSP was to articulate and present the development thrusts and strategies for achieving them in the planned period.
According to him, the plan shows the policy direction and courses in all the eight mandate areas, including Education, Health, Road Infrastructure, Energy, Agriculture, Water Resources, Entrepreneurship and Environment.
He said that the HMTSP would also serve as a veritable tool for the mobilisation of civil society and private sector and development partners at
all levels.
To meet the projected targets, he said, the HMTSP set forth the framework for collaboration and partnership between the Commission, State Governments, the Local Governments, the Private Sector and Development Partners.
Declaring the Stakeholders forum open, Governor Yahaya Bello commended HYPPADEC for its consistent support and commitment towards impacting positively on the lives of riverine communities in the state.
Bello who was represented by his Deputy, Chief Edward David Onoja said that the bottom-top approach being adopted by the Commission would help address the issues affecting the HYPPADEC communities adding that the five-year plan was achievable.
According to him, it is only the person wearing the shoe that knows where it pinches most and urged that the inputs of the critical Stakeholders from the 10 Local Government Areas should take the centre stage as working document for HYPPADEC.
Barr Joseph Terfa Ityav, Chairman HYPPADEC Governing Council, described the HMTSP as all encompassing adding that the baseline data collected from all the communities had given direction and vision to HYPPADEC in implementing all of its activities.
Ityav stressed the importance of effective planning to achieve needed goals and assured that the Commission was going to work in collaboration with relevant ministries/agencies for the success of the five-year action plan.
The Managing Director of HYPPADEC, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa (Katukan Yauri) in his remarks said the commission had planned under its housing scheme to build two-bedroom apartments for the most needy victims in the flood affected communities.
He said that as a lasting solution to the flood challenges, the Commission had brought the issue of dredging to the front burner adding that even before the recent flooding calamity, the Commission had a plan for dredging of the rivers.
Yelwa also said that the Commission would give more motorcycles to communities to beef up security in riverine area, address post-harvest issues and make Youth transformation and scholarship an all-inclusive intervention.
Mr Victor Omofaiye, the state Commissioner for Environment said the proposed five-year strategic plan with eight sector focus was highly commendable, logical and timely because it aligned with the blueprint agenda of Gov. Yahaya Bello’s administration.
He said that the administration placed priority on human capital and infrastructural development for poverty alleviation and economic sustainability in Kogi State.
Engr Joy Ogwuche, Kogi State Coordinator of HYPPADEC, the forum was to enable further brainstorm on plan and reel out achievable plan for the next five years.
The Coordinator added that the strategy was to draw a broad-based development plan and provides succour to the people and as well, assess HYPPADEC activities in various communities.
Ohimege-Igu of Koton-Karfe, Alhaji Abdulrazaq Isa-Koto, chairman of Kogi Local Government Area traditional council said the problems of the riverine communities were similar apart and called for a holistic approach.
He said that the road from Lokoja to Koton-Karfe was built on reclaimed land adding that the drainages provided by the road constructors had been blocked giving rise to leading to flooding.
The Ohimege-Igu urged the Federal Government to solve the problem by dredging the River Niger and called for strict adherence to the Environmental Impact Assessment Report of the projects as part of probable solutions to the perennial flooding.
