The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), North Central Zone, has rejected the recent appointment of Mrs. Tomi Somefun as the Managing Director of the Hydro-Electric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPADDEC), citing a violation of the commission’s establishing Act.
In a statement released on Tuesday and signed by the Zone C Coordinator, Comrade Hussaini Jamilu Ebbo, the student body condemned the appointment, describing it as “unlawful and unacceptable.”
According to NANS, Mrs. Somefun’s appointment contravenes Section 12(a) of the HYPADDEC Establishment Act, which mandates that the Managing Director must be an indigene of a HYPADDEC member state, that the position shall rotate among member states, and that the appointee must not hail from the same state as the commission’s chairman.
The member states of the commission include Niger, Benue, Kwara, Kogi, Kebbi, Plateau, Kaduna, and Gombe. NANS alleges that Mrs. Somefun is not an indigene of any of these states, making her appointment “a direct affront to the law and the people of the hydroelectric power-producing communities.”
“This is not just a political misstep but a breach of legal provisions meant to ensure fairness, representation, and equity in appointments within the commission,” the statement read.
The student group called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately reverse the appointment and ensure that future nominations strictly comply with the provisions of the HYPADDEC Act.
NANS warned that failure to address the matter could erode public trust in the commission and threaten its effectiveness in addressing the needs of communities impacted by hydroelectric projects.
“We urge Mr. President to uphold the sanctity of the law by rescinding this appointment and restoring due process in the management of HYPADDEC,” the group stated.
The commission was established to fast-track the development of communities adversely affected by hydroelectric power generation across select Nigerian states.
