Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC) said it procured 2,500 motorcycles for local vigilance groups in 1,800 communities as part of measures to tackle insecurity in the areas of coverage.
Speaking at the opening of a weeklong skill acquisition training programme for about 300 staff of the commission, tagged, skill development for organizational productivity, in Ilorin on Monday, the managing director of the commission, Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa, said that the measures had yielded good results.
“When we came, we realized that the communities want to defend themselves but the bandits go there highly equipped and with motorcycles and our vigilance groups do not have such kinds of facilities. So, we bought 2,500 motorcycles and distributed them to 1,800 communities. Not to individuals, but to vigilance groups of those communities so that it can improve on the security of the communities. And these had proved effective.
“Also, when we came, we realized that there’s persistent deaths as a result of canoe and boat mishaps in the riverine transportation system. So, we bought 10,000 life jackets in order to save lives of commuters and we plan to buy even more, so that nobody would travel on the rivers without life jackets”.
Commission areas of operation are in the hydro-power producing states or where hydropower generating facilities are located like Kebbi, Plateau, Kwara, Niger, Kogi, and Benue as well as Taraba, Gombe, and Kaduna states; by virtue of provision of the Act which established the commission.
Alhaji Yelwa, who said that the commission has performed well to meet objectives since it was established, said that it had succeeded in needs assessment exercise, “where we went round 1,800 communities in HYPPADEC zone to know their basic needs, problems and expectations so that policies and implementation would be those generated from the people.
“We’ve also constructed 160 solar boreholes in 57 local government areas that make up the commission. We are presently working to construct 1,000 handpumps in the 1,800 communities of the commission and we’ve already given out contract for rehabilitation of 1,000 existing boreholes, and handpumps that had gone out of use. We’re already constructing 58 blocks of three classrooms and offices for primary schools as part of our primary school education development programme in the 58 areas and identified another 58 existing primary schools for full rehabilitation.
“Recently, the National Assembly approved N1billion for procurement of books and handbooks as part of our school support programme. We have supplied fertilizers to all the 1,800 communities of the commission at 60 per cent subsidy rate. Farmers are happy and we hope to sustain that. We also conducted medical outreach programme for over 70,000 patients”.
The managing director also said that the programme was meant to improve the performance of the staff, reminding them of the basic objectives of their employment and guiding them in key factors to take into consideration in the application of resources of the commission for delivery of projects and programmes.
“The 300 staff were trained in three selected centres in Kebbi, Plateau and Kwara states, grouped on basic needs of their performance”.