Re: N720m for inoperative HYPPADEC

Our attention has been drawn to the above captioned publication in your Tuesday, September 22, 2015 edition, Electricity/Energy page 24. We are constrained to raise our objection to the issues raised, as they were done in bad faith.

This is even against the backdrop of the fact that the author of the said publication, had earlier raised issues around HYPPADEC, about a year ago with the former Minister, Professor Chinedu Nebo, who responded to the allegation that money meant for HYPPADEC even when appropriated can only be accessed after the Commission has taken-off, the point is that nothing has changed in the position expressed by the former Minister and as at now.

It is on record that although the list of nominees for the Commission constituted, had been sent to the Presidency for approval, unfortunately the former administration could not approve the said list until the end of its tenure.

As part of Government efforts, the Ministry of Power has consistently assisted HYPPADEC Secretariat with furnishing of a structure donated by Niger State Government in Minna for its take-off.

It is instructive to state that anything so done at HYPPADEC Secretariat by the Ministry is not from the Commission’s budget as erroneously portrayed in that write-up.

The write up of Mr. Simon Sunday is full of fallacies that one wonders if the claim to investigative journalism is a veil to cover mischief or how can one justify his assertion “that a take-off grant from HYPPADEC Act as written in Federal Ministry of Power budget section was meant for an unknown capital project in Niger State, gulping N200.2 million”. The phrase does not seem to have any meaning, or is the writer saying that HYPPADEC Act has a budget provided in FMoP budget?

Speaking on the above, Muhammad Aliyu Koshe, the Principal Consultant of HYPPADEC, said that it is premature to talk about building the Headquarters at its permanent site, he however stressed that he had labored to secure a good location for the permanent site at the Three-Arm Zone in Minna, Niger State.

He cannot therefore phantom the claim that a whopping sum of N720m has been spent in the following order, N200.2m in 2012, N250m in 2013 and another new take-off grant of N250m in 2014.

Muhammad Aliyu Koshe, who had previously served the Government of Niger State as Senior Special Assistant has since inception of the call for the creation of HYPPADEC in year 2000 has expressed bitterness in the manner in which this publication is capable of derailing the vision and accruing benefits from the HYPPADEC initiative, as all the issues raised are found to be false.

The question is, where are the likes of the Consultant to speak on issues around HYPPADEC, but the writer chose to interview an unknown figure called Chairman of Yauri Emirate Development Association.

There is another umbrella body known as Federation of Youth Movement for the Creation of HYPPADEC with representatives drawn across the 5 member-states. The said commission has a Co-ordinating Secretariat in all the 5 Secretary to the State Government Offices. They are empowered with relevant information about HYPPADEC, hence they could have availed the writer with credible information if approached.

The writer in his motive for mischief said to have spoken to one Mrs. Ezeh J. from Enugu State, a contractor, engaged, through the assistance of Professor Chinedu Nebo, to secure contract for renovation work at the Secretariat.

From our checks there was no figure like that, one will expect a journalist with knack for investigative reporting to be more diligent to get the real identity of the contractor and its company. Our checks revealed that from the supposed telephone conversation, the poor woman seems not to know what the writer was talking about, let alone won a contract for the renovation.

The modest work done at that Secretariat was made possible by the good will of the National Assembly, although it was routed through the Ministry of Power, it was handled by the HYPPADEC Committee in 2014.

The last part of the report has further exposed the real intention of the writer, as he claimed to have sent e-mails and calls to the Ministry officials. Has he ever being denied access for interviews at the Ministry, does he not have the contacts of the Permanent Secretary and the Head of Media?

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