Daily Independent (Lagos)
Adetutu Folasade-Koyi
18 November 2008
Abuja — Senate on Tuesday passed into law the Hydro-Electric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC) Bill, which seeks to protect host communities.
The HYPPADEC Bill has been in the National Assembly for many years.
It was passed into law during the tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo but he refused to assent to it.
The bill seeks to among other things establish a commission to provide a healthy relationship between host communities and dam operators where activities are beneficial to the public by way of generation of electricity at the same time.
It also seeks to provide the needed infrastructure for host communities who might be affected by adverse activities of dam projects.
Also, the bill makes ample provision on the functions of the commission which includes policy formulation for the development of hydroelectric power producing areas and provision of social infrastructure in the areas of health, transportation, education, agriculture, housing and electricity, among others
The commission would also make provision for tackling ecological disasters in collaboration with the Federal Government, rather than NEMA in areas of assistance.
Sponsored by Dahiru Awaisu Kuta (PDP, Niger east), the legislative process on the HYPPADEC Bill is consequent upon a report presented by the Nicholas Ugbane-led Committee on Hydro-electric Power Producing and Steel Development and Metallurgy.
Meanwhile, Senate has approved the nomination of the chairman and members of the Board of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) forwarded to it by President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua.
Those cleared were Ernest Shonekan (South West) - Chairman, Hakeem Sanusi (South West), Mansur Ahmed (North West ) and Bernard Verr (North Central) as members.
Others are Clement Owunna (South East), Comfort Saro Wiwa (South South), Joe Kyari-Gadzama (North East) and Aisha Sheikh (North West )
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