The Managing director of National Hydroelectric power producing Areas development Commission (N-HYPPADEC), Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa, has said the ongoing construction of N300 million Mobile Barracks in Gashish community in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State was in response to the demand of the community to have a security outfit closer to them.
Yelwa also said the need assessment carried out by the commission showed that communities are clearly vulnerable to agents of insurgency and the demand of the communities was genuine and necessary.
He told reporters during an inspection tour of the project in Gashish yesterday.
Yelwa said: “We are here to supervise the ongoing N300 million mobile barrack brought here to address security challenges in these areas.
“HYPPADEC felt that whatever we may be doing in terms of economic development for people of this community, if there is no peace and security, it will be a waste of time and resources.
“People of this community and environs have witnessed invasion of their communities by gunmen in recent times. And the people, through their state government placed the demand for the federal government to have government security closer to them to protect them from external aggressions.
“I have toured the site and I have seen that the construction has gone 70 per cent completion. It is hoped that on completion, security personnel will be deployed here and those security challenges will be a thing of the past.”
“The mobile barrack has the capacity to accommodate at least 150 security personnel. And from what I saw, the construction is going according to specifications and I’m convinced the engineers on sight are doing very well.
“My management is more interested in quality delivery of the job, because the objective for the project itself must be met after all.
“We want this project to be completed by December 31 because any delay is dangerous; this project is about safety of lives and properties, so we will not entertain any delay. We want to complete the project and hand it over to the state government as soon as possible.”