By Awwal Umar Kontagora Stakeholders from member states of the Hydro-Electric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPP...
By Awwal Umar Kontagora
Stakeholders from member states of the Hydro-Electric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC) have strongly condemned the appointment of Mrs. Tomi Somefun as the Managing Director of the Commission, describing it as a violation of the law and calling for its immediate reversal.
President Bola Tinubu’s recent appointment of Mrs. Somefun has sparked widespread controversy, drawing sharp criticism from stakeholders across Nigeria’s North Central region and other hydro-electric power-producing states.
According to the Act establishing HYPPADEC, the Managing Director must be appointed from among the hydro-electric power-producing states, which include Niger, Kwara, Kogi, Kebbi, Plateau, Kaduna, Taraba, and Gombe. These states, adversely affected by the ecological and socio-economic impacts of hydroelectric dams, are the primary beneficiaries of the Commission’s mandate.
Mrs. Somefun, a seasoned banker and former Managing Director of Unity Bank Plc, hails from Oyo State, which is not among the designated hydro-electric power-producing areas. Her appointment has since provoked outrage, with critics describing it as a blatant violation of the HYPPADEC Act.
Stakeholders argue that the appointment undermines fairness, justice, and regional representation.
“Can someone from Niger or Kogi be appointed to head the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC)? That would be unthinkable and unacceptable to the Niger Delta people. The same principle must apply here,” a concerned stakeholder remarked.
The development has triggered calls from civil society groups, youth organizations, and political leaders from the affected states for the immediate reversal of what they term an “illegal appointment.”
They have urged their governors, senators, and members of the House of Representatives to intervene and defend the rights of their constituents by insisting on strict adherence to the HYPPADEC law.
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