The managing director, Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC), Dr Abubakar Yelwa, Monday said the commission will power seven local government areas in the riverine areas in Benue with solar street lights.
The commission is also to train and empower four hundred persons across the seven local government areas selected in Benue state.
Yelwa stated this during a one-day stakeholders meeting on the dissemination of report on the outcome of needs assessment exercise held Monday in Makurdi.
He listed the LGAs to include, Kwande, Katsina-Ala, Buruku, Gwer west, Guma, Makurdi and Agatu.
The MD said the essence of installing the solar street lights was to minimise attacks on the people at the riverine areas.
He further said they would also intervene in the areas of providing water by drilling two boreholes in each of the LGAs.
He said it was the earnest desire of the commission to make life meaningful for people.
Also, the program director, Dr Muhammed Alkali, said the commission was established to be intervening in states, including Benue, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Niger and Plateau.
He said based on their assessment during the exercise, only sixteen percent of schools on average in the affected communities were functional, while others were prone to hepatitis malaria and cholera.
Alkali further said that the commission was established to mitigate effects of disasters and not to stop them.
While speaking, Governor Samuel Ortom, commended the federal government for establishing the commission and appointing a Benue son, Tyav, the pioneer board chairman..
