The Niger-South Senior Stakeholders' Forum (NSSF) has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to revisit and reverse the appointment of Tomi Somefun as the Managing Director of the National Hydro-Electric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (N-HYPPADEC).
The Secretary-General of the Forum, Mohammed Santuraki (Santurakin Nupe), in a statement, said Somefun’s appointment was a clear violation of the N-HYPPADEC Act.
The Nation reports that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on July 18, appointed Somefun as the Managing Director of N-HYPPADEC, alongside other Nigerians to serve as Chairman and Managing Directors of different agencies.
Santurakin emphasized that, though Somefun is a distinguished Nigerian who hails from Oyo State, her appointment contravened the N-HYPPADEC Act, which stipulated that only persons from N-HYPPADEC member state could hold such a position.
According to him, N-HYPPADEC was established to address the devastating ecological and socio-economic challenges suffered by communities in member states affected by hydroelectric power generation.
He stated that, these challenges include environmental degradation, flooding, displacement, and destruction of livelihoods a reality endured for decades by people of Niger, Kogi, Kwara, Kebbi, Benue, Plateau, Kaduna, Nassarawa, Taraba, and Gombe States.
Santuraki said: “The N-HYPPADEC Act is clear and unambiguous in its provisions regarding leadership. Specifically, Section 93(2)(a) of the Act states:
"The Managing Director shall be an indigene from among the member states of the Commission, whose appointment and tenure shall rotate among the member states in alphabetical order; provided that the Chairman and Managing Director shall not be indigenes of the same state.
“Somefun, though a distinguished Nigerian, hails from Oyo State, which is not a member state of N-HYPPADEC. Her appointment is therefore in direct contravention of the enabling Act and undermines the very purpose for which the Commission was established to empower and give voice to communities impacted by hydroelectric development.
“We believe this is a matter not of politics, but of constitutional fidelity and justice, he added.
Santuraki, therefore, appeals to President Tinubu to reverse this appointment "in the interest of legality, fairness, and regional stability".
He also urged members of the National Assembly from HYPPADEC states to rise in defence of their constituents and ensure the provisions of the law are upheld.
