HYPPADEC: A case for Nasarawa State

Setting up of HYPPADEC will no doubt assist in reducing the sufferings the people of these states are facing as a result of devastation of their farmland by Hydro Dams, just as the people of Niger-Delta are benefitting from Niger Delta Development Commission as a result of destruction of their land by oil companies. But […]

Setting up of HYPPADEC will no doubt assist in reducing the sufferings the people of these states are facing as a result of devastation of their farmland by Hydro Dams, just as the people of Niger-Delta are benefitting from Niger Delta Development Commission as a result of destruction of their land by oil companies. But the question that readily comes to mind is: What were the yardsticks adopted by the Federal Government in arriving at the states of Niger, Kwara, Benue, Kogi and Plateau as the only states that could benefit from HYPPADEC?
While one will not like to view this action of the federal government as motivated by political considerations, as things stands, it would be difficult for one not to reach to a conclusion that exclusion of Nasarawa state from the benefitting states has much to do with politics. If states of Benue and Kogi could be listed as HYPPADEC states there is no any reason why Nasarawa state should not be listed also, since River Benue also passes through Nasarawa state, if at all that might be the reason for inclusion of Benue and Kogi. And besides, being in North-Central, Nasarawa state has Hydro-electric power project that is ongoing at Farin Ruwa which has already gulped billions of Naira and devastated large farmlands of our people. If Plateau could also be listed as member state by virtue of contributing certain percentage to the national grid through Nigeria Electricity Supply Corporation (NESCO) then Nasarawa state ought to be listed too by virtue of Farin Ruwa Hydro-electric power project which when completed, would add no fewer than 30 mega-watts to the National grind.
Nasarawa state now does not belong to PDP, which controls the government at the centre, but I don’t want to believe, as I said earlier, that our not voting PDP should be the reason why we were excluded from HYPPADEC. Out of the six states that constituted the North-Central only Nasarawa state received disqualification hammer as member of HYPPADEC, despite meeting all the conditions as highlighted above. Freedom to belong to any political party is an inalienable right of every citizen of this country. Our decision however in Nasarawa state to vote Congress for progressive change (CPC) was, but out of our desire to have a change in the way things are moving in the state. For 12 years that the PDP was in power in the state, there was nothing positively on ground aiming at improving our living conditions. Instead, our people have been turned to beggars, with only selected few enjoyed the so- called dividend of democracy.
And from all practical purposes, we in Nasarawa state have no any regret whatsoever in voting Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) So far, what the CPC led administration did to the people of the state has showed or rather proved to us that we did not do what a Hausa man would say ‘Zaben tumin dare’ meaning ‘voting the wrong path’The CPC led administration in the state within less than 2 years has achieved, in terms of provision of infrastructures, what the PDP failed to achieved in 12 years.
However, since Nigeria belongs to all of us regardless of our political persuasions, I felt that we mustn’t be denied the luxury of membership of HYPPADEC since the resources to finance the Agency belongs to all of us. In this connection however my appeal is to members of National Assembly from Nasarawa state to join forces and ensure the inclusion of the state in the HYPPADEC league. Our members must seize the opportunity provided by the National Assembly in the on-going amendment of the Act that establishes HYPPADEC to make a strong case for Nasarawa state. History will certainly not going to forgive our present members at National Assembly if this, failed to see the light of the day. Luckily today we have the architect of Farin Ruwa Hydro- electric plant in the senate, in the person of Abdullahi Adamu. I believe he will do everything humanly possible in this direction.
Going by the way things are moving in this country today, if we do not fight for what rightly belongs to us nobody could do it for us. Like I have observed earlier, our members must come together and make this a reality. Our people are going to benefit immensely in our being in the HYPPADEC league, if not now then certainly later.
Bala wrote from Lafia <[email protected]>