Lack Of Funds Stalls HYPPADEC Take-OffGov Bello

The governor of Niger State, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello has said that the federal governments inability to release monies appropriated in the budget over the years has adversely affected the effective take-off of the Hydro-electric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC).This, the governor said has had negative effects on the communities associated with the project to suffer untold hardship since the livelihood of the inhabitants depend solely on fishing and farming, causing the people to become vulnerable and hence grapple with abject poverty.Governor Bello said this at the meeting of the Hydro-electric Power Producing Areas Development Commission stakeholders forum in Abuja, just as he further lamented that no concrete measure has been made by government in constituting a governing council and the appointment of a Managing Director for the eventual take-off of the commission.He saidMy dear colleagues, it is also important to note that some monies have been appropriated in the national budgets over the years for the commissions take-off. Unfortunately, no concrete action has been taken by the federal government to constitute the governing council and appoint a managing director for the take-off of the commission.Hence our communities in the downstream continue to suffer untold hardship, since their livelihood is solely dependent on fishing and farming. Our people are now vulnerable, because over time they have been denied basic access to electricity, exposed to severe environmental degradation,- loss of biodiversity, flooding and of course grappling with abject poverty.
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