Commission raises alarm over shortage of water in Kwara riverine areas

Hydro-Electric Power Producing Areas Commission (HYPPADEC) on Saturday
raised the alarm over prevalence of water borne diseases like hepatitis and others in riverine areas of Kwara state.

The commission attributed the menace to shortage of potable water in
the affected communities.

HYPPADEC added that it is collaborating with the National Directorate
of Employment (NDE) to train no fewer than 980 Kwara youths in one
year.

It added that the training would centre of poultry and fish farming,
furniture making and others.

Managing Director, HYPPADEC), Alhaji Abubakar Yelwa stated this in
Ilorin, the state capital during a stakeholders meeting with members
of the HYPPADEC communities.

Alhaji Yelwa said that the commission would sink motorised and
hand-pump boreholes in the communities in the area.

He said, “our technical partners will provide solar-powered
electric supply in the affected communities.

“The training will centre of poultry, fish farming, furniture
making etc; and It is going to be about 55 trades for every youth to
choose from.

“When the youth are under training we are going to support them with
stipends. Graduates will receive N15,000 per month, diploma holders
and others will receive N10,000 monthly. This will at least, help them
to go the training centres.

“70 per cent of the beneficiaries will come from HYPADEC catchment
communities, 10 percent of the youths will be persons with disability,
30 percent women and the rest will be a fight for all. We want to make
sure that the disabled and women are given adequate attention.

“The classification of the exercise HND and first degree graduates
must be 35 percent of the beneficiaries, NCE and ordinary national
diploma holders will take 30 percent, WAEC holders and the informal
sector will be 35 percent.

“The training is going to be between three and six months based on the
trade the benefiting youths have chosen.

“If the exercise is successful, we will train another batch of youths.
So that in every six months we will be able to graduate 490 youths
from Kwara state that will be able to stand on their own.

They will not only earn a living on their own, they will perhaps, be employers
of labour. We hope the youth will utilise this opportunity.

“HYPADEC will also donate motorcycles to the communities and
traditional institutions for the support of local vigilance groups.

“Some of the vigilance groups embark on their activities through
motorcycles.

“But the largest donation is going to be from our technical partners and I assure you between now and middle of next year, the youth transformation will commence.”

In his remarks, Kwara state Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq
represented by Secretary to the state government (SSG), Prof. Sha’aba
Jibril said, “many of the HYPADEC communities are exposed to
environmental degradation, flooding and continue to suffer untold
hardship since their livelihood is solely dependent on fishing and
farming. They are therefore vulnerable.

“It is my hope that the perennial problem of power supply, disaster
such as lead poisoning and erosion will soon be a thing of the past.

“We do acknowledge and owe lots of gratitude to our traditional
institutions and other stakeholders within the HYPADEC states that
have been passionate about this movement from inception till date,” he said.

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