HYPPADEC medium term plan: Bagudu seeks enhanced training of fishing, livestock communities 

HYPPADEC medium term plan: Bagudu seeks enhanced training of fishing, livestock communities 

The Kebbi Governor, Alhaji Atiku bagudu, has appealed for training of fishing and livestock communities along riverine areas in the proposed Hydro Power Producing Areas Development Commission’s medium term strategic plan 2022 – 2027 in the state.

Bagudu made the appeal at the stakeholders forum meeting on proposed HYPPADEC medium term strategic plan 2022 – 2027 in Birnin Kebbi on Tuesday.

“In Kebbi, we want more support so that we can see our fishing communities from open water fishing to fish farming, especially fish farming with high- valued addition.

“This is because, fresh water bodies are not longer able to sustain fishing communities as they used to, and some of them have made the ultimate sacrificed when there is flooding,” he said.

Bagudu prayed that the HYPPADEC would enhance training to both fishing communities, farming and livestock sectors in the medium term plan within the catchment areas.

“A training that will transit them to more modern means of production so that there dependence in incidental rainfall and the effects of hydro-powder production could be minimised, ” he prayed.

Bagudu also sought for more investment in hydro-power in the affected communities, saying that the world was always talking about renewable energy and hydro-power was one of the leading renewable energies and cheapest source of energy.

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“We have now chosen to start with the HYPPADEC leading us to the attention of legislative houses both national and international to speak up some more.

“If Nigeria wants to be self- sufficient in power, let hydro-power not be put at the back of our priority issues; it should be put at head so that we continue to seen investments in hydro-power for the communities to make more contributions,” he said.

The governor commended the commission for organising the meeting and traditional rulers for honouring the invitation for their inputs into the medium term strategic plan.

Earlier, the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Babale Umar-Yauri, commended HYPPADEC for the what it had been doing within few years of its existence in the state.

“Kebbi has benefited with 34 solar boreholes, establishment of new schools in some local government areas, provision of fertiliser to farmers and street lights as well as conducting medical outreach in the riverine communities, among others, ” he said.

Umar-Yauri applauded the commission for rising up to the challenges confronting several Communities, especially in times of flooding and insecurity as well as other essential needs of the people.

The Chairman of the Governing Council of HYPPADEC, Mr Joseph Tarfa-Ityav, said that the stakeholders’ forum strategic plan was inline with the mandate of the commission in order to achieve its target objectives and mandate.

“The medium term plan has set out our priorities and clearly defines the objectives of HYPPADEC. The commission will continue to include stakeholders in the various communities of the HYPPADEC states.

“Whenever we have such  working document, it will enable us to achieve our objectives; and it can be done through inclusiveness and synergy to meet the yearnings of the communities of HYPPADEC,” he said.

Tarfa-Ityav implored all the stakeholders to contribute to the success of the plan, stressing that the commission hoped to come up with a working document for the development of its concerned states.

In his closing remarks, the Managing Director of HYPPADEC, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq-Yelwa, commended the state government, LGAs and traditional rulers for their support to the commission, saying the support had made their work easier in the state.

“We are going to support communities in the six catchment states in our intervention of different areas in education, health, education, security and water, among others.

” In Kebbi, we are going to provide diagnostic equipment, eco- scanning facilities, optical dental facilities in some of the general hospitals in the four emirate in the state.

“We are going to provide water hand-pumping machines to 450 communities and rehabilitate others in those communities as part of our water scheme program in the state,” he said.

Sadiq-Yelwa commended the participants for honouring their invitation, assuring that the commission would do justice to observations raised by the stakeholders in the meeting.