The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN), said on Saturday that the Federal Government had finalised the plan for the take-off of the Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission.
A statement by the Minister’s spokesperson, Dr. Umar Gwandu, stated that Malami said the new commission would address flooding in hydropower producing states.
The minister statement stated that Malami said this in Argungu, Kebbi State, during his sympathy visit to the state which was recently hit by floods.
The minister noted that Kebbi, Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Plateau and some other states of the federation had been experiencing annual flooding from the River Niger and the tributaries of the three hydro-electricity dams in Kainji, Jebba and Shiroro.
He added that this had resulted in “unquantifiable afflictions including loss of lives, property, agricultural produce, land degradation, shelters, farms and environments”.
Malami said HYPPADEC would “address the perennial challenge of flooding and manage other ecological menace ravaging the people in the areas”.
The statement added, “According to the Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (Establishment, Etc,) Act, 2010 (No. 87 of 2010), the Commission shall, among other things: formulate policies and guidelines for the development of hydroelectric power producing areas; carry out a survey of hydroelectric power producing areas in order to ascertain measures which arc necessary to promote its physical development.”
It will also “prepare schemes designed to promote the physical developments of the hydroelectric power producing areas; implement all measures approved for development of hydroelectric power producing areas by the Federal Government; and tackle ecological problems that arise from overloading of dams in the hydroelectric power producing areas and advise Federal and State Governments on the prevention and control of floods and environmental hazards.”
