National Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (N-HYPPADEC) has begun a need assessment in 513 Kogi communities affected by the flood.
N-HYPPADEC’s Director, Finance and Administration, and Kogi State Team Lead and Team Lead for the ongoing Needs Assessment in the State for Flood Communities, Mr. Jimoh Haruna Gabi, disclosed this while fielding questions from Newsmen in Lokoja.
The Commission, Mr. Gabi explained that they have currently deployed men across the nine Local Government Areas affected by the flood in the State to carry out a Needs Assessment for Flood affected communities
He pointed out that the Commission will, after it needs assessment, relate with the citizens directly, ensuring that the Commission feels the pain of people affected by the 2024 flood in Kogi State.
He disclosed that the needs assessment by the Commission is with the view to making interventions as desired by the people, said the Commission feels their pulse and the pains of the people affected.
Mr. Gabi assured the people affected by the flooding in nine out of the 21 local government areas that constitute Kogi State that the Commission is with them; however, advised them to endeavor to move to higher grounds, pointing out that their safety is more paramount to the Commission.
He disclosed that N-HYPPADEC would be more articulate in defining and making pronouncements of what are the required needs of the people, pointing out that the intervention would be geared towards improving their living standards, pointing out that the Commission remains a partner in progress to the State.
Mr. Gabi said the Commission had earlier embarked on a wide sensitization advising people living in flood-prone areas to move upland and disclosed that the Needs Assessment exercise is currently ongoing in 513 communities for the deployment of intervention.
“The exercise aims to look at infrastructure that is lacking. Those that are decayed. Others require renovation or are not there at all for the Commission to provide. We will only give what the Communities require”.
The Commission expressed appreciation that unlike in the past when floods usually cut off vehicular movements along KotonKarfe, the intervention of the Akpankiti Community through an erosion control it embarked upon has yielded results as the road was not flooded.
” The KotonKarfe project is one of our star projects. In 2022 the road was cut off. We went to the drawing board and discovered that it was caused by the drainage. We surveyed from the source and, with enriched engineering design, built a drainage system that can properly address the flood in Kogi LGA that usually leads to the road being cut off. Today we are happy that the road is motorable and the people are sleeping with their eyes closed as a result of the intervention”.
Mr. Gabi disclosed that it has, since the commencement of its operation in the State, been able to intervene in the areas of education, security, economic activities, and agriculture; said it has also given a facelift to victims of the flood.
“Education: In all the ten N-HYPPADEC LGAs, we deployed the construction of two primary schools with three rooms and six toilet facilities. We also deployed tables and chairs. Pupils studied materials like exercise books and laptops and provided mini solar lighting to improve the lighting of the surroundings as well as introduced power banks to schools. The Commission also intervenes in the areas of payment of school fees in tertiary institutions to the tune of N25m for indigent Students in FUL, PAAU, and other tertiary institutions in the state”.
Mr. Gabi added that the Commission handed overhand pump boreholes in villages to address the water needs of the people where the people are having water challenges.
Through the Youth Transformation program, the Commission, Mr. Gabi explained, had trained over 5000 youths in different locations and, in the processs,s, stipends ranging from N15,000 to N10000 to get training. In the next couple of weeks, we will give out starter packs. We also facilitated the registration of Businesses with the CAC where the cost of registration was reduced.
In the area of security, Mr. Gabi said the Commission introduced motorcycles to security agencies and Vigilantee to help curb insecurity. We also tried to secure operators on the water bodies with life jackets to help protect safety of lives and properties in the water transportation.
“The Commission took a step further to introduce boats to some operators, having noticed that some of the boats are obsolete and unrepaired. We launched new flying boats with Kogi State benefitting four numbers”.
“The Commission also rendered medical outreaches to Riverine Communities and indigenes of the N-HYPPADEC communities”.
