By Christiana Ekpa
The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Hydrological Services/Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC), Hon Paschal Agbodike, has pledged commitment to the development of the Commission’s host communities.
Agbodike, who represents Ihiala Federal Constituency of Anambra State, made the pledge when the Managing Director of HYPPADEC, Abubakar-Sadiq Yelwa, appeared before the committee on Tuesday.
He said just like host communities of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) were getting some benefits, HYPPADEC communities should get the same treatment.
Agbodike promised the Committee was going to help address the funding challenge facing the Agency.
He said, “We are ready to improve on the activities of HYPPADEC. We will improve on the lives of those host communities because I see no difference between HYPPADEC and NDDC. The host communities of NDDC are enjoying the benefits, those things that should be going to them to ameliorate their suffering as a result of hazard that is coming from the activities of those oil companies.
“So the communities of HYPPADEC should also be compensated the way it is supposed as provided by the law and Act that establishes HYPPADEC.”
States he said would be beneficiaries are Kogi, Benue, Gombe, Kaduna, Kebbi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau and Taraba.
He said, “Those host communities we shall make sure we improve their welfare, having seen their plan for the year and things that have been provided or mapped out in the proposed budget”.
