HYPPADEC Warns Community Over Floods As NOA, NEMA, SEMA Intensify Campaigns
From Ayodele Ajoge, Birnin-Kebbi
The Hydro Power Producing Area Development Commission (HYPPADEC), early in the week held a one day stakeholders meeting on flood mitigation and other related issues ahead of this year’s approaching raining and flood control.
In his speech while welcoming stakeholders to the meeting, the Managing Director of the Commission, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa called on all the Local Council Areas within the Commission’s areas of operation to adopt measures that will help them control flood this year as the Commission would be ready to refund 50% of their expenditures in that direction.
Yelwa also called on the Traditional rulers in the the State to help afforestation by enforcing tree planting in their areas by ensuring planting on ten hectare of trees in all the 21 Local government areas of the State.
He said the Commission will assist in planting of trees but only in the areas without security challenges, adding that areas with security challenges will have to wait until when security situations in such areas is improved, nothing that the Commission can not afford kidnap of its staff.
Other areas of concentration where the commission intends to assist in provision of amenities includes, building of houses in those villages with diverstating floods, build blocks of classrooms, construction of waterways and construction of streets lights among others.
Also in his speech, the zonal Director of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Sokoto operation office, Alhaji Shehu Shangi told stakeholders there are natural disaster and man made disasters.
He, therefore, called for inclusion of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and the Youth Corps Members in the campaign against floods.
