Senate Probes N612m Dormant Budgetary Allocation for HYPADEC

Senate Probes N612m Dormant Budgetary Allocation for HYPADEC

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

The Senate has resolved to probe the dormant N622 million allocations to the Hydro Electric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPADEC) in the last eight years.

It has, therefore, mandated its committee on Legislative Compliance to investigate the utilisation or otherwise, of the total sum of N612, 177, 269 million appropriated so far for the Hydro Electric Power Producing Areas Development Commission ( HYPADEC) since 2011.

The upper chamber also mandated the committee to investigate the reasons for the delay in the take-off of the commission nine years after the bill establishing it was passed into law and assented to by then President Goodluck Jonathan.

These resolutions were sequel to a motion sponsored to that effect yesterday by Senator Bima Enagi and 21 other Senators.

In his lead debate, Senator Enagi, said the Act establishing the commission was passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the 7th Assembly on May 26, and June 3, 2010 respectively .

He added that after the passage of the bill by both Chambers of the National Assembly , the then President , Jonathan assented to it on August 10, 2010.

According to him, the sum of N354, 570, 637million was appropriated to the commission in 2011, N247, 500, 000 million in 2014 and N10, 106, 632million in 2015 , totalling N612, 177,269 million.

“Despite those allocations made, the commission has not taken off and this has brought enormous hardship on the people of the areas.

“The inability of the commission to take off has exposed the communities within the area of operation of hydroelectric dams in Nigeria to serious ecological challenges like flooding , loss of lives , health hazards , loss of farmlands etc,” he lamented.

He however stated that since 2012 fiscal year till date , nothing has been allocated and appropriated for the commission .

Most Senators who contributed to the debate, supported it by calling for thorough investigation on why the commission has not taken off , nine years after establishment and how the N612million appropriated was spent or retired .

In his remarks, Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan , directed the Committee on Legislative Compliance to carry out the investigation very deligently and report back in two weeks .

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