Ubah protests as Senate confirms HYPADEC nominees

Amid protest by Senator Ifeanyi Ubah (YPP Anambra South), the Senate yesterday confirmed the appointments of Hon. Ityav Joseph Terfa from Benue State as the chairman and Malam Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa from Kebbi as the Managing Director of the Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission, HYPADEC forwarded to it by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Other nominees whose appointments were approved as members of the Governing Council of the commission are Alhaji Isa Ozi Salami from Kogi no State, Taoheed Daud Toyin (Kwara); Hon. Mikail A. Bmitosahi (Niger); Saleh Mohammed Galadima Kanam (Plateau); Engr. Aminu Muhammed Ganda (Sokoto); and Chief Utum Eteng from Cross River respectively.

The confirmation followed the consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Power, chaired by Senator Gabriel Suswan (PDP Benue North East).

In his presentation, Senator Suswan recalled that President Buhari’s letter requesting the Senate’s confirmation of the nominees was forwarded on November 25, adding that all of them have the required qualifications and experience to serve on the Governing Council of the HYPADEC.

Senator Suswan, however, informed that petitions were received against the confirmation of nominees from Kogi and Kwara, from “concerned stakeholders from HYPADEC communities” but said “after careful consideration of the petition, the committee found it to be baseless and of no consequence to the confirmation of the nominees.”

Besides, he added that “the committee also received a letter of recommendation was received from His Royal Highness, the Oba of Jebba supporting the nomination of the Kwara State nominee.”

The committee chairman added that there was no negative security report on all the nominees and therefore recommended them for clearance by the Senate.

But rising on Order 42 of the Senate Rules, Senator Ubah protested the non inclusion of any state from the South East in the HYPADEC, arguing that it was wrong to exclude the region with huge dams from such important commission.

Despite the intervention of the Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan that the commission only concerns states with hydroelectric power generation established by law and that the Anambra lawmaker could only influence the inclusion of any state in South East through amendment to the existing law, he reluctantly closed his submission.

In his remarks after the confirmation of the nominees, Lawan urged them to swing into action immediately, pointing out that the commission had stayed long enough without Governing Council.