By Danjuma Amodu | January 8, 2026
In a bold call for unity against environmental challenges, Minister of Environment Balarabe Abbas Lawal has urged Nigeria’s ministries, departments and agencies, especially the National Hydro-Electric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (N-HYPPADEC) to forge deeper partnerships to confront the nation’s escalating climate and ecological crises.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by N-HYPPADEC Director-General Abubakar Sadiq and his delegation to the Ministry’s Abuja headquarters on Thursday, Lawal identified five flagship areas where inter-agency collaboration could deliver immediate relief to vulnerable communities.
First, a climate-resilient Water Supply and Sanitation (WASH) programme aims to guarantee year-round access to safe water in dam-affected areas. Lawal stated that collaboration would further boost access to safe drinking water and reduce waterborne diseases in affected communities.
Another area for collaboration is the Clean Cooking Initiative, where energy-efficient stoves are distributed to households in hydro-basin zones to slash energy poverty, deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions.
Other priority areas include: joint deployment of early warning systems and rapid-response teams to shield at-risk areas from erosion and floods; scaling up tree-planting and habitat rehabilitation across degraded landscapes; and creating green jobs, skills training programmes and awareness campaigns to empower local populations as frontline environmental stewards.
“These aren’t just projects,” Lawal said. “They are lifelines for millions of Nigerians living on the frontlines of the climate crisis.” He further stressed that pooling resources, data and expertise will turn reactive responses into proactive resilience.
In his remarks, N-HYPPADEC Director-General Abubakar Sadiq welcomed the minister’s call, describing N-HYPPADEC as a strategic partner already delivering measurable results in water supply, sanitation, housing, youth empowerment and institutional strengthening across its 10 regional offices: including Lokoja, Ilorin, Jos, Gombe, Kaduna and its headquarters in Minna.
He commended the Ministry’s recent flood alerts and swift interventions in erosion-prone zones: “Your quick action has saved lives and property. We stand ready to amplify those efforts.”
Established to develop hydro-power producing regions, N-HYPPADEC’s mandate now dovetails with the Ministry’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and Great Green Wall initiatives, both targeting climate vulnerability, land degradation and community resilience.
Balarabe’s push for synergy comes amid rising calls for integrated governance to meet Nigeria’s climate commitments under the UNFCCC, Paris Agreement and Africa’s Great Green Wall agenda.
