FG Earmarks N220m for HYPPADEC’s Take-off

225
Spread the love

The Federal Government yesterday said it had set aside N220 million in the 2012 budget to enable the Hydro-Electric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC) to commence initial operations. States that make up HYPPADEC; Kogi, Benue, Kwara, Plateau, Niger and Kebbi had resolved in their recent meeting in Minna, Niger State capital, to demand the release of funds accruing to the commission since the signing of the bill into law in 2010.

Minister of State for Power, Hajia Zainab Kuchi, who disclosed this to journalists at a meeting of officials of the Ministry of Power with Secretaries to the State Governments (SSGs) involved with HYPPADEC in Abuja also stated that budgets for the commission’s operations were provided for in the 2010 and 2011 financial years but lost to non-existence of a framework for the commission.

Kuchi, however, explained that although the 2012 budget year was almost coming to a close, the N220 million budgeted for the commission in 2012 will not be lost as it were in previous years considering the existence of a legal framework for the smooth takeoff of operations of HYPPADEC.

She said in her response to requests from the SSGs that: “The ministry is in the position to attend to your requests but we must take them in and provide answers to the ones we can. There is an ongoing amendment to the Act establishing HYPPADEC and I think it is to establish the percentage derivable to the states in terms of revenue.

“But, we have already started the process of activating the operations of HYPPADEC because there is already an amount budgeted for that in the budget; the commission is already a done deal as far as the ministry is concerned; N220 million is budgeted for its operation in 2012.”

The minister further noted: “In 2010 and 2011, certain amounts were budgeted for the commission and lost because at that time there was no frameworkfor its operation but now the take-off budget is there and we would not lose it because there is a framework in place for the commission’s operations.”

Kuchi equally hinted that the ministry was working out a framework that will ensure a seamless relationship between HYPPADEC and eventual owners of various Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) successor companies within the HYPPADEC jurisdiction, adding that: “The private companies will have to operate within the ambit of existing laws in the country; this is an existing law, so we will initiate a framework to allow them have a good relationship.”

The technical committee of the states that make up HYPPADEC, Kogi and five other states, had resolved in their recent meeting in Minna, Niger State capital, to demand the release of funds accruing to the commission since the signing of the bill into law in 2010.

In their demands submitted to Kuchi and read by Secretary to the Niger State Government who led the delegation, Mr. Daniel Shashere, the SSGs that forms the technical and implementation committees for the take-off of the commission asked for a swift constitution of a federal management committee for the commission as well as the commencement of an effective revenue collection mechanism as enshrined in the law establishing HYPPADEC.

 

Source

 

 


Spread the love



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *