HYPPADEC MD Yelwa Urges Lawmakers to Criminalize Non-Wearing of Life Jackets on Boats

Abubakar Yelwa, Managing Director of the National Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC), has called for legislation to criminalize the failure to wear life jackets by boat passengers.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting on the agency’s Youth Transformation Programme (YTP) in Ilorin on Thursday, Yelwa urged local Houses of Assembly to pass such laws to reduce the death toll from boat accidents in riverine communities.

Represented by Dr. Mahmud Muhammed, Director of Community and Rural Development, Yelwa recalled a tragic incident where 130 people were lost in a single boat accident.

He also shared that HYPPADEC has trained over 5,000 youths through its YTP scheme. The 800 youths from Kwara State who participated will soon receive starter packs to launch their own businesses and potentially create jobs for others.

The starter packs, which cover 15 vocations including tailoring and fish farming, cost over N255 million. Yelwa urged the beneficiaries to use the packs wisely and not to sell them.