Five state governors have advocated the establishment of the Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission.
The governors of Kebbi, Kwara, Kogi, Niger and Plateau states made the demand known to the Federal Government during a meeting held at the Niger State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.
The Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, Mustapha Baba-Shehuri, represented the Federal Government at the meeting.
In a joint communique issued earlier today and signed by the Governor of Niger State, who doubles as the Chairman, HYPPADEC State Governors, Dr. Abubakar Sani-Bello, the five-man group of governors said residents of the affected states were facing severe hardship as a result of the non-establishment of the commission.
They noted that the HYPPADEC bill was passed in 2008 and was subsequently signed into law in 2010, but stressed that the recommendations of the bill had not been observed, as payments due to the states from power generating companies were not remitted.
Sani-Bello, according to the communique, said, “Considering the exigencies of the signed bill, the meeting noted with deep concern the incessant hardship, loss of lives, land and property being experienced by communities in the states along the River Niger.
“This is as a result of annual flooding of the river and its tributaries resulting from the activities of the three hydro-electricity dams located at Kainji, Jebba and Shiroro in Niger State. Hence, the coming together of governors of the affected states to press for the eventual actualisation of HYPPADEC, whose bill has been passed and assented to in 2008 and 2010 respectively.”
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