The Managing Director of Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC), Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa, said the commission is determined to fight poverty, unemployment and insecurity in Bokkos, Bassa and Riyom local government areas of Plateau State.
Yelwa disclosed this in Jos during the flag-off of HYPPADEC Youth Transformation Programme in collaboration with her technical partner in Plateau State, where over 350 youths were identified for skills acquisition programme.
He said hundreds of motorcycles were also donated to Vigilante Groups in Bokkos, Riyom and Bassa Local Government Areas for security surveillance.
“Youths are important component of the society and HYPPADEC is all about improving the lives of communities affected by dams, especially dams used in generating electricity power. That is why we felt providing them with means of livelihood is very important as well as providing relevant infrastructures in the community is key.
“We believe that providing them means of livelihood is better than giving them food just to eat, and that is why we have carefully selected 3000 youths for training from Bokkos, Riyom and Bassa local government areas respectively.
He explained that the commission will pay N10,000 and N15,000 to some of the youths throughout the training exercise that would last between three to six months, adding that it has also paid registration fees for students writing NECO in the respective communities.
“We have also presented motorcycles to vigilante groups in the three local government areas for security surveillance and this is to complement federal and state efforts in tackling security challenges in the state.”
He noted that the commission will collaborate with traditional rulers, community leaders and development associations to curb insecurity and poverty in their area of coverage.
Director Community and Rural Development, Dr. Mahmud Muhammad Umar, said youths constitute the largest number of unemployed youths in Nigeria and that a deliberate step must be taken to address the situation.
He lamented how idle youths are being used to perpetrates crime and said the skills programme initiated by HYPPADEC was deliberate to complement government efforts in addressing the menace.