By; ARCHIBONG ESUENE, Makurdi
The Federal Government has commissioned the multi million Naira Idye Flood Control/Dyke project at Niyman, Makurdi in Benue State executed by the Management Committee of the National Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (N-HYPPADEC).
The Secretary to the Federal Government, Senator George Akume who performed the commissioning, regretted that Nigeria is faced with numerous challenges, such as the environmental destruction consistently caused by floods and gully erosion which remains a significant one.
He commended the Management Committee for identifying and executing it in line with international standard as the project represented an important step towards taming the challenge in this part of Makurdi town.
“The management’s dedication to reversing environmental degradation and promoting sustainable community development in Nigeria’s power-producing areas is in alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision of an industrialized and developed country, where our hydropower dams can generate adequate electricity without compromising the living standards of the local populations inhabiting the power-producing areas”.
“As the leading office in the Presidency responsible for ensuring the effective coordination and implementation of Government Policies in the country, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) recognises the importance of a healthy and green environment for the development of our country. That is why Agencies such as N-HYPPADEC are placed directly under our supervision to achieve maximum effects.
“As we all know, however, environmental problems have been prevalent in our communities long before N-HYPPADEC took off in 2021. The task of reversing environmental damages caused by floods and erosion over the years is definitely not an easy one. It requires meticulous and long-term planning that should be executed in stages”.
Speaking further, the SGF said the flood control project, which was commissioned, is only one of the early steps taken by the commission towards reversing ecological degradation and promoting sustainable developments in riverine communities across the country.
The SGF who was represented by the Minister of Water Resources, Professor Joseph Utsev, while acknowledging President Tinubu, the State government and all stakeholders whose sustained efforts led to the completion of the project, stressed that to promote environmental conservation in Nigeria, it became imperative that the N-HYPPADEC put in place the necessary infrastructure to reverse environmental degradation caused by floods and erosion.
“This Flood Control/Dyke Project, spanning a distance of 1.2 kilometers, is a shining example of what can be achieved when government agencies, private sector partners and local communities come together with a shared purpose. The project will not only protect the environment and infrastructure but will also safeguard the lives and livelihoods of countless individuals who call this region home.”
Earlier, the Managing Director of N-HYPPADEC, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa, noted that for years, the residents of Makurdi and other parts of Benue State have endured annual flooding that has consumed thousands of homes and farmlands, displacing numerous families.
Yelwa said that, “The 2022 Benue floods were even more tragic. In 2022, the Benue State Emergency Management Agency reported that the floods consumed about 18,349 houses and farmlands, displacing a total of 134,797 people. This staggering impact shows the urgent need to take decisive action to safeguard the communities and the livelihoods of people in the state.
“Successive governments at both federal and state levels have made frantic efforts to manage this crisis and mitigate its impact on the people and the environment. For example, the Federal Government had previously spent about N700 million on the Idye Basin flood control project in Makurdi.
“Today, we stand to celebrate the completion of one of the contributions of the Federal Government through the National Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (N-HYPPADEC) by commissioning the Idye Flood Control/Dyke Project, which spans an impressive 1.2 kilometers.
“This project, supplemented by an additional excavation of 2.5 kilometers to salvage the lower basin of the community, is a significant investment of approximately 1.2 Billion Naira. I believe this project is worth this amount because of its importance in safeguarding the environment and protecting the lives and livelihoods of the people.”
