N-HYPPADEC says vandals crippled Kuta Rescue Village after commissioning

The National Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission, N-HYPPADEC, has dismissed allegations by the Coalition of Shiroro Associations, COSA, that it failed to execute the Kuta Rescue Village project in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, describing the claims as false and misleading.

In a statement issued on Thursday by its Head of Press and Public Affairs, Nura Tanko Wakili, the Commission said the Kuta Rescue Village was fully funded, completed and commissioned on June 30, 2022, in partnership with New Approach.

According to the statement, the facility was established to provide temporary shelter for victims displaced by recurrent flooding and bandit attacks in Shiroro and neighbouring communities.

N-HYPPADEC said the project was equipped with solar-powered electricity, residential shelters, toilet facilities, potable water supply, security infrastructure and other essential amenities designed to provide decent living conditions for displaced persons.

The Commission said the project was commissioned by the then Secretary to the Niger State Government, Alhaji Ibrahim Matane, on behalf of former Governor Abubakar Sani Bello, in the presence of government officials, traditional rulers, community leaders, security agencies and members of the media.

It, however, explained that the facility was vandalised shortly after commissioning, with hoodlums allegedly carting away equipment and other valuables worth millions of naira, preventing displaced communities from benefiting from the intervention.

Despite the setback and prevailing financial constraints, N-HYPPADEC said it has continued to implement sustainable resettlement initiatives, including the ongoing construction of resettlement housing schemes in Layi and Galadima Kogo in Shiroro Local Government Area, as well as Injita in Munya Local Government Area of Niger State.

The Commission accused COSA of attempting to mislead the public and undermine its interventions, insisting that the execution and commissioning of the Kuta Rescue Village remain matters of public record.

“It is, therefore, astonishing that a group claiming to represent the interests of the people of Shiroro would deny the existence of a project that was publicly commissioned and widely reported. Such conduct is not only dishonest but also exposes the desperation of the group’s sponsors to mislead the public for selfish and politically motivated reasons,” the statement said.

N-HYPPADEC added that photographs taken during the official commissioning of the project had been released as evidence to counter what it described as false narratives being circulated by the group.

“The Commission therefore urges members of the public to disregard the unfounded allegations by this compromised and thoroughly discredited group and its sponsors. The ridiculous claim coming four years later is nothing but a failed attempt to blackmail, intimidate and distract an institution whose developmental footprints across hydroelectric power-producing communities are visible, verifiable and widely acknowledged,” it stated.

The Commission reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, accountability and inclusive development, stressing that it would not be distracted by what it described as “merchants of falsehood, hired propagandists and agents of mischief.”