Increase funding for flood mitigation, N-HYPPADEC urges FG

The National Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (N-HYPPADEC) has urgently appealed to the Federal Government to increase financial allocations for flood mitigation, warning that recently approved emergency funds are vastly inadequate to address the severe scale of impending seasonal floods.

The commission’s call came during its three-day management consultative meeting in Ilorin, Kwara State, where state coordinators and senior area officials converged to review ongoing infrastructure projects and establish defensive strategies for highly vulnerable riverine communities.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the summit, N-HYPPADEC Managing Director, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Economic Council (NEC) for their recent proactive approval of an ₦83.2 billion intervention fund. The fund was established through the Anticipatory Action Task Force (AATF) to deploy early-stage climate relief before seasonal downpours peak.

While characterizing the multi-billion Naira allocation as a historic step away from reactive disaster management, Yelwa stressed that the raw financial requirements to safeguard communities surrounding Nigeria's primary hydroelectric dams far exceed the current layout.

"The amount may not be sufficient considering the magnitude of the challenge, but it is better to begin than to do nothing at all. I commend President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Government for taking this initiative, and I hope additional resources will be made available to further protect vulnerable communities."
*Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa, Managing Director, N-HYPPADEC*

The commission revealed that its operational capacity is being heavily limited by persistent financial bottlenecks. Yelwa disclosed that N-HYPPADEC is still completely unable to fully access its vital statutory funding mechanism—specifically the mandatory **10 percent remittance from revenue generated by the country's power companies**.

Consequently, the agency is forced to run almost exclusively on baseline federal budgetary allocations and discretionary monthly contributions from its respective member states to keep its community defense projects running.

| Asset Class / Strategy | Defensive Status & Operational Measures |
| *Resettlement Housing* | Physical construction of specialized emergency resettlement camps has commenced across high-risk target states. |
| *Early Warning Systems* | Sensitization networks are activated 3 to 4 months ahead of peak rainfall in partnership with traditional councils and local media. |
| Co-Funding Matrix | The agency is establishing joint-funding structures with state governments and local communities to encourage long-term infrastructure maintenance. |
| Disciplinary Measures | A strict "No Work, No Pay" administrative policy has been officially enforced within the agency to maximize project completion speeds.

The commission's warnings carry intense urgency following a severe, concurrent flash flood risk advisory issued jointly by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet). The meteorological warning places 27 states on immediate red alert, projecting that torrential downpours throughout the coming weeks could trigger catastrophic flash flooding across low-lying regions.

The specific territories identified as being at high risk span the bulk of N-HYPPADEC’s mandate area, including Kwara, Kogi, Kebbi, Niger, Taraba, Nasarawa, Kaduna, and Zamfara. Authorities are aggressively urging citizens living along vulnerable river banks and dam drainage channels to abandon high-risk structures immediately and move to designated higher ground before localized infrastructure becomes fully submerged.