… debunks claims linking Mokwa floods to Kainji, Jebba dams
Oredola Adeola
Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited, operators of Kainji and Jebba hydropower plants, through its Foundation, has provided relief materials to victims of the recent devastating floods in Mokwa as part of its corporate social responsibility efforts.
The company also clarified that the flooding could not have originated from the Kainji or Jebba dams, as none of their tributaries pass through the affected area.
Olugbenga Adebola, Head of Corporate Communications at Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited, stated this in a statement obtained by Advisors Reports on Thursday.
According to him, the Mainstream Foundation team was led to Mokwa, by Zayyan Illo, its Programme Manager where the distribution of much-needed relief materials took place.
Zayyan Illo on his part, expressed the foundation’s heartfelt condolences to the Government and People of Niger State, particularly those affected by the disaster in Mokwa.
“As an organisation directly involved in community development, we are deeply saddened by this calamity and our heart goes out to the people of Mokwa.
“We have seen the immediate challenges posed by this calamity and the despondency that has engulfed the town. Mainstream Foundation is here to support during this difficult time,” he said.
The relief material according to Illo, includes food items such as rice, spaghetti, sugar, and spices, including household essentials like mattresses, blankets, and buckets.
He added tht each beneficiary is also provided with minimal cash support to aid in their stabilisation.
The Programme Manager of the Foundation further stated that Mainstream Foundation reaffirms its commitment to supporting communities around the lake, focusing on education, health, community empowerment, and environmental initiatives to improve their lives.
Salamatu Saidu of Gangaren Hausawa, one of the beneficiaries of the Foundation’s intervention, said, “I lost everything. Even what I am wearing was donated to me. I am so grateful for this company, and may the Almighty bless them.
Another beneficiary, Zainab Ilyasu said as she shed tears, “My children were rescued from under rubble, still alive, but not all my neighbours came out alive.
She said, “Only the Almighty Allah can bless this foundation enough. They have come to us, given us food items and even what to sleep on, including money to make soup. May the Almighty cover them and increase them”.
Olugbenga Adebola, Head of Corporate Communications at Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited, stated that the Management of Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited has never spared resources in supporting communities.
“Mainstream Foundation is intervening in the Mokwa situation, and our strategy has always been to intervene directly so that these much-needed items go directly to the beneficiaries.
“It is the hallmark of our interventions. As one of the first successor companies of the old PHCN, Manstream Foundation was the first duly registered foundation in the power sector and has always reached out to communities directly,” he said.
Adebola therefore emphasised addressed the misinformation circulating in some online media about the cause of the flood, clarifying that none of the tributaries leading to the Kainji or Jebba dams pass through Mokwa.
He insisted that this makes it geographically implausible for water from these dams to have caused the flood, adding that relevant agencies of the government have dispelled the misconception.
