The Hydroelectric Power Producing Development Commission (HYPPADEC) has concluded plans to build 250 units of two-bedroom houses in Edeha community living under the Murtala Muhammad Bridge in Kogi local government of Kogi state.
The Managing Director of HYPPADEC, Dr Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa, disclosed this at a one-day stakeholders’ meeting on dissemination of the report on outcome of NEEDS Assessment Exercise conducted by the Commission and its development partner in Lokoja on Friday.
He said HYPPADEC would build 250 two-bedroom flats for the 180 households in the Edeha community which was always submerged each time floods came and had to all relocate to other places till the floods receded.
He explained that it was discovered that they were always submerged by the perennial flood which had become a recurring decimal in the state, necessitating permanent relocation.
He added that that HYPADEC would in addition train no fewer than 460 youths in the state, stressing that the commission will also donate sizable number of motorcycles and 60 solar powered-boreholes to the affected communities.
Yelwa stated that the NEEDS assessment impact exercise was carried out in 4,000 communities across the six affected states as result of the use of hydroelectric power in their area.
Representative of the technical partner, the New Approach, Mrs. Lillian Iwu warned the benefiting households should not resell the houses and go back to their former settlements.
She urged the state government to put the evacuated land to some other use to discourage the resettled households from going back to inhabit the place.
