The management of the Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC) has concluded arrangement to train and empower a total of 60, 000 skilled and unskilled youths in Kwara State within the next five years.

Also, the commission is to provide 250 housing units to those displaced by flood from riverine communities.

The consultant to HYPPADEC, Mr. Sam Juwl, disclosed this in Ilorin while presenting the HYPPADEC's Medium Term Strategic Plan (HMTSP) 2022-2027 at the stakeholders' forum of those covered by the activities of the agency in the state.

Apart from the training of 60 skilled and unskilled youths, Juwl said non-graduates would be trained in vocations such as tailoring, paintings amongst others while graduates will be trained in advanced skills including Information, Computer and Technology (ICT), installation of circuit camera television (CCTV) device, solar panels installations amongst others.

HYPPADEC 's Managing Director, Alhaji Abubakar Yelwa, announced that the commission has gotten approval of its Governing Board to provide 250 houses to people displaced by flood from the riverine communities.

He however decried lack of compliance by generating companies in all the six HYPPADEC states in the payment of their dues to the commission.

“If not for the grace and support of the governors of the six HYPPADEC states, HYPADEC offices would have closed by now because what is due to HYPADEC from generating companies had never been paid to HYPPADEC to date.

“In fact , some of them are even arguing and trying to see that there is no justification in paying what is due to be paid to support these communities.

“Some of them are arguing that they should be allowed to work it out on their own, which should not be the case,” he lamented.

Earlier in his address, Chairman Governing Council of HYPPADEC, Mr. Joseph Ityav, said the essence of the meeting was to have stakeholders' input into the proposed plan with a view to ensuring that its implementation was carried out according to their communities' needs assessments.

Kwara State Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Mamman Shaaba Jibril, called for the dredging of River Niger to put an end to the recurring flood wreaking havoc in riverine communities.