Stakeholders Hail Impact of N-HYPPADEC Projects in Gombe, Taraba States

By Paul Orude, Bauchi

Stakeholders under the North East Stakeholders Forum for Sustainable Development (NESFSD) have commended the Managing Director of the National Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (N-HYPPADEC), Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa, for the Commission’s impactful interventions in host communities across Gombe and Taraba States.

The commendation was made on Wednesday at the Whitehill Hotel, , during a press briefing by the National Chairman of NESFSD, Alhaji Murtala Sule Jalingo, and the Secretary-General, Comrade Danladi Bawa (Gombe) respectively.

Murtala said the Forum was impressed by N-HYPPADEC’s tailored approach to addressing the specific needs of its catchment communities, noting that the Commission’s interventions had brought relief, hope, and visible improvements to the lives of residents.

He particularly praised the intensified engagements and projects following the recent visit of the Managing Director to the newly admitted N-HYPPADEC member states in the region, which were approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in June 2023.

According to him, the Commission has demonstrated strong commitment to mitigating ecological damage caused by hydroelectric power operations while promoting sustainable development in host communities.

In Gombe State, the Forum listed several completed interventions to include the supply of 1,100 life jackets, provision of an operational flying boat to Kupto Community, installation of solar streetlights.

Others include construction of solar-powered boreholes, desilting of drainages, construction of classrooms, and support for indigent students through the payment of National Examinations Council (NECO) fees.

Murtala praised N-HYPPADEC for living up to the objectives of its establishment, stressing that unlike many agencies that focus largely on internal administration, the Commission prioritises projects that directly impact the daily lives of the people.

He also expressed satisfaction with the Managing Director’s pledge to deliver a 33-seater boat and additional safety facilities, describing N-HYPPADEC as the “headquarters of rural development in Nigeria” due to the scale and impact of its interventions.

The Forum further commended projects executed in Nafada, ranking N-HYPPADEC first, second, and third in productivity among development agencies operating in the area.

Speaking earlier, Comrade Danladi Bawa applauded the Commission for its efforts in addressing environmental and socio-economic challenges faced by power-producing communities.

He said the Managing Director’s visit demonstrated strong technical understanding of the long-standing environmental and social burdens borne by host communities, including ecological degradation, flooding, erosion, displacement, and livelihood disruptions linked to hydroelectric dam operations.

Danladi disclosed that since 2024, N-HYPPADEC has executed several projects in Taraba State, including the establishment of a state office in Jalingo, installation of 34 solar-powered streetlights in riverine communities and the state capital, and construction of 15 solar-powered boreholes to improve access to clean water.

Other interventions in Taraba include the 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 mobility and emergency response, and desilting of drainages and culverts spanning about 40,000 linear metres across several local government areas to mitigate flooding.

The Commission also supplied and installed electricity transformers in parts of Jalingo and supported education by paying NECO external examination fees for students from power-producing communities.

Stakeholders further commended the Managing Director for pledging to deploy two water buses to improve transportation for residents of riverine communities in Taraba State.

The Forum assured Alhaji Yelwa of the continued support of the people of Gombe and Taraba States and appealed to the Commission to extend its laudable interventions to all remaining local government areas in both states.