Niger Delta

UNICAL Sinks $30m On Solar Energy

Published

8 years ago

March 16, 2018

Thirty million dollars is to be spent for the construction of a solar energy project at the University of Calabar (UNICAL) by the Nigeria-German Energy Partnership to enable the institution resolve its power outage problem.
Speaking at the ground breaking ceremony for commencement of the electricity project at the University campus staff quarters, Consul General of Germany Herr. Ingo Herbert charged Dantata Solar Energy Limited (development/technical partners) to put in their best in the project execution so that the project could come to fruition.
Herbert stated that $30 million has been set aside by the Nigeria-German solar energy power partnership to be used for construction/take-off of 10mega watts power project at the university campus.
Coordinator for the solar energy partnership, Jeremy Gains, who spoke with journalists shortly after the ground breaking ceremony at the project site, said that the 30 million dollars will be paid from some of the monies that the university was spending for the procurement of diesel.
Gains stressed that the money that the university used to spend on diesel would now become an investment in the solar power plant.
He said, “the project is going to cost us $30 million. It will be paid for, from some of the monies that the university is spending on diesel. It means that the university is going to spend on the solar energy.
“If you look here it will go as far as the fence and the River. It is going to provide enough power for the university community, for University of Calabar Teaching Hospital and the Cross River University.
When asked if the system was going to be sustainable, he responded, “the system we will built here will run at normal hours for 25years, and it will continue, and after that the place becomes fully powered.”
Continuing, he noted that “the system is designed for the university to pay for it. When they pay it off after 7years, they will begin to enjoy free electricity.”
He said that the solar power system had been designed in a manner that it would provide constant electricity on the campus for 24 hours, 7days of the week for twenty five years, adding that the power project was not a federal government project but a project that was born out of the partnership.
Responding, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. Zana Akpagu said that upon completion of the project, the institution would be ranked among the best universities in Nigeria, adding that it was a stride that could make any of the management staff to walk with his shoulders high above ones’ head.
“When the university was designed in 1975, it wasn’t designed with the use of electricity in mind but as of today football is even being played in most stadiums with the use of electricity. By then people didn’t even know how to use laptops.
“If you go round the institution you will discover that there are some bulbs that have no light. When once this project is completed all the bulbs are going to have light with the aid of these solar panels”, he said.
Akpagu stated that the institution had no any other choice than key into the partnership given the stress that it had under gone just to ensure that there was light on the campus.
He said that UNICAL procured on the average about three trucks of diesel which cost 30 million naira on monthly basis outside monies paid as bill for electricity consumption to Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC).
Earlier in his remarks, former minister of Power, Dr Lanre Babalola, lauded the management of University of Calabar for the courage and vision, adding that when the power reforms started it was all about staying in Abuja and urged other universities to borrow a leaf from the university of Calabar so as to solve the electricity problem which had been bedevilling the nation’s tertiary institutions.

Friday Nwagbara, Calabar

Niger Delta

Stakeholders In Delta Seek Stronger GBV Action, Women’s Leadership

Published

1 day ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

Stakeholders in Delta State convened in Asaba for a leadership workshop organised by Otdel Health Heritage and Environmental Initiative (OHHEI), focusing on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and women’s participation in decision-making processes.

OHHEI Project Director, Mr. Peter Olayinka, represented by a consultant, Juliet Obiajulu, urged participants to contribute meaningfully toward advancing women’s leadership and combating GBV across communities in the state.

He said the workshop aimed to strengthen participants’ capacity to influence policies, challenge harmful cultural norms, and reinforce initiatives designed to prevent and respond to GBV.

Olayinka said women often faced bias even when they occupied leadership positions, and stressed that gender diversity improved the quality of decision-making and promoted innovation and accountability in governance structures.

Speaking, the Chairperson of the Association Against Child Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, Mr Eris Jewo-Ibi, identified cultural norms, domestic responsibilities, political resistance, and grassroots barriers as constraints to women’s participation.

Delta State GBV Desk Officer, Mrs. Rosemary Okpuno, emphasised that effective decision-making required women’s perspectives, adding that inclusion remained critical to addressing persistent gender-based challenges.

Voke Angbagh of the Delta State Ministry of Justice outlined penalties for rape and called for the establishment of special courts to handle sexual offences cases.

Angbagh said frequent adjournments delayed justice for survivors, stressing that dedicated sexual offences courts would ensure timely trials and stronger protection for victims in Delta State.

The Tide’s source reports that facilitators identified cultural acceptance of violence, unequal power relations, discrimination, poverty, limited education, and low self-esteem as major drivers of GBV.

They emphasised that violence and exclusion resulted in social, physical and emotional harm, imposed economic costs, reinforced harmful stereotypes, and widened existing gender inequalities.

The source also reports that OHHEI, a local non-profit organisation, focuses on education, health, environment, and social justice, promoting sustainable development initiatives with gender equality at the centre of its interventions.

Niger Delta

C’River Suspends Taskforce Activities Over Drivers’ Protest

Published

1 day ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

The Cross River State Government has suspended all taskforce activities connected to commercial transportation and ticketing across the state.

The State Governor, Bassey Otu, announced the suspension at an emergency stakeholders meeting on Friday in Calabar.

It would be recalled that commercial drivers in Calabar metropolis took to streets on Thursday to protest alleged multiple taxation and extortion by government agencies.

During the protest, the drivers alleged that taskforce groups claiming to represent the state government openly harassed and extorted them.

Represented at the meeting by Ekpenyong Akiba, his Special Adviser on General Duties, Otu said the suspension would subsist pending further review of the situation.

The Governor stated that the state government did not commission anyone to extort drivers in the name of task force.

He urged commercial drivers and other road users to remain law-abiding while government worked out a lasting solution.

On his part, the Chairman, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Calabar Metropolis, Mr. Sunday Dennis, expressed optimism that the dialogue would yield positive results.

He said the meeting had provided an opportunity for the aggrieved commercial drivers to present their concerns directly to the state government.

Also speaking, the Chairman, Unified Drivers Association, Mr. Nta Henshaw, described the harassment on drivers as worrisome, and urged the state government to be decisive in resolving the matter.

Niger Delta

A’Ibom Assembly Urges More Private Investments In Agriculture

Published

1 day ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly Committee on Nutrition and Food Security has called for more private sector investments in agriculture.

The Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Moses Essien, made the call when the committee visited Aviclaire Farms, a private establishment in Usung Idem, Uruk Usoh in Abak Local Government Area.

Essien, who represents Ibiono Ibom in the Assembly, commended the Management of the farm for partnering an NGO, ECEWS, to promote private investment in agriculture.

He commended the partners for adopting climate-smart agriculture initiatives in their operations, adding that such move would promote food security.

“Your interest in using transformative intervention to promote food security is a veritable way of complementing the efforts of the state government,” he said.

The lawmaker continued that adopting practical climate-smart agriculture model would help to generate employment, improve nutrition outcomes, and strengthen food sufficiency.

He further said he was impressed with the strides recorded by the partners, saying, “your investment has created jobs for no fewer than 2,000 youths.

”You are an example of an environment-friendly investor. I urge Akwa Ibom residents to embrace environment-friendly and technology-driven agriculture models,” he said.

Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer, ECEWS, Dr. Andy Eyo, who conducted the committee round the farm, said the collaboration was conceived to demonstrate the viability of climate-smart farming in ensuring food sufficiency.

Eyo said the farm, which commenced operations with four greenhouses, had expanded to 14 within two years, and currently supplying high-quality produce to major markets in Uyo and neighbouring communities.

He said ECEWS was exploring cooperative frameworks to enable rural farmers and women’s groups to adopt greenhouse technology for sustainable livelihoods.

In her remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of Aviclaire Farms, Mrs. Victoria Eyo, said the controlled-environment ensured precision cultivation and consistent yields.

She further said the farm served as a capacity-building centre for students, interns, and agri-business trainees.