By Ahmad Saka
The North East Stakeholders Forum for Sustainable Development (NESFSD) has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Managing Director of the Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC), Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa, over the Federal Government's intervention to mitigate flooding in vulnerable communities across the country.
In a statement signed by the Forum's National Chairman, Alhaji Murtala Sule Jalingo, and Secretary-General, Comrade Danladi Bawa Gombe, and made available to journalists in Bauchi, the group praised the release of N80 billion to relevant government agencies involved in flood control and disaster management.
According to the Forum, the intervention came at a critical time and represents a proactive measure to reduce the devastating impact of flooding across HYPPADEC states and other vulnerable parts of Nigeria.
The stakeholders urged the Federal Government to sustain and increase funding for flood prevention and mitigation efforts, expressing confidence that the resources would be judiciously utilised to address the threats posed by torrential rains and flash floods.
The group also applauded the leadership of HYPPADEC Managing Director, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa, describing him as a committed administrator who has consistently pursued the Commission's projects with diligence through regular project reviews, monitoring of programme implementation and strategic initiatives aimed at improving service delivery across member states.
The statement noted that Yelwa's leadership style has strengthened project implementation by providing opportunities to evaluate departmental performance, identify operational challenges and obtain feedback from field offices.
NESFSD further commended HYPPADEC for sustaining its annual flood preparedness campaigns through early sensitisation programmes in flood-prone communities ahead of the rainy season.
The Forum highlighted several interventions executed by the Commission in Gombe and Taraba states, describing them as evidence of HYPPADEC's commitment to improving the welfare and livelihoods of host communities while addressing ecological challenges associated with hydroelectric power operations.
In Gombe State, the Commission was credited with supplying 1,100 life jackets, providing an operational flying boat to Kupto Community, installing solar-powered streetlights, constructing solar-powered boreholes, desilting drainage channels, building classrooms and sponsoring National Examinations Council (NECO) registration fees for indigent students.
The group said these interventions demonstrate that HYPPADEC is fulfilling the mandate for which it was established by prioritising projects that directly improve the lives of ordinary Nigerians.
Similarly, in Taraba State, HYPPADEC was commended for delivering a 33-seater boat and other safety facilities, distributing 32 power tillers to farming cooperatives, providing two flying boats along the Lau–Karim Lamido and Ibi–Wukari routes to enhance emergency response, desilting approximately 40,000 linear metres of blocked drainages and culverts across several local government areas, supplying and installing electricity transformers in parts of Jalingo, paying NECO examination fees for students from power-producing communities and deploying two water buses to improve transportation for residents of riverine communities.
The Forum noted that, unlike many public institutions that focus largely on internal development, HYPPADEC under Yelwa has consistently prioritised people-centred interventions that directly impact communities.
The group's commendation comes amid warnings by Nigerian authorities that millions of people living in low-lying and flood-prone communities could be at risk of severe flooding if the current heavy rainfall continues.
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