The Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC) has disclosed that Benue State could not be supplied with fertilisers in this year’s farming season due to the inability of contractors to meet the commission’s demand for quality standard.
Managing Director of HYPPADEC, Alhaji Abubarkar Sadiq Yelwa, made this known at a stakeholders’ forum on proposed HYPPADEC Medium Term Strategic Plan (HMTSP) 2022-2027 for Benue State held in Makurdi.
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Yelwa said, “This year, we had problems in fertilisers supply to Benue State and it wasn’t deliberate. We had advertised according to the governing council’s policy to encourage local contents.
“Somebody from Benue applied and we gave contract to the person but when he supplied the fertilisers and we tested the content, the quality didn’t meet our standard so we rejected it. And we asked him to supply what will meet our requirements because we wouldn’t accept any inferior quality.”
The managing director added that the commission would not implement any further projects in communities of the state, unless committees are set up in the benefitting local government areas for proper accountability.
He said the decision was meant to ensure that the people owned the projects and protect same from theft.
“We will not implement any project in Benue until we receive the local government committees. We have problems with the solar project executed as four of the panels were stolen on the day they were installed.
“If there were committee in place, they will take it (project) as their own. Once that is done, we are carrying out the solar street lights which would soon be installed,” Yelwa maintained.
Earlier, the Chairman of HYPPADEC Governing Council, Barr. Joseph Terfa Ityav, said the stakeholders forum was meant to rub minds in order to improve on the proposed medium strategic plan to enable the council progress in its work.
Ityav explained that the document captured targets and defined the objectives of the commission.
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