Niger Delta

STEM: Shell Equips 120 Students With Innovative Skills

Published

8 years ago

July 11, 2018

The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited has equipped over 120 young Nigerian students and their teachers across 12 schools in Lagos and Rivers States with a diverse range of tools and problem-solving skills to address the complex challenges affecting the food-water-energy nexus and its linkages.
The schools include, Archdeacon Brown Education Centre, Woji; Bloombreed High School, Elelenwo; Brookstone Secondary School, Rukpokwu; Bishop Crowder Memorial Secondary School, Elelenwo; Jephthah Comprehensive College, East-West Road; and Oginigba Community Comprehensive School, Oginigba; all in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Rivers State, among others.
Speaking at the NXplorers Exhibition organized to showcase the innovative projects of the students in Port Harcourt, last Monday, under its Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education initiative, Shell’s General Manager, External Relations, Igo Weli, said that the company has in the last eight months taken the smart students and their teachers through a wide spectrum of opportunities to solve local challenges with global impact.
Weli, who was represented by Manager, Social Performance, Sub-Sahara Africa, Emmanuel Anyim, said that “through the NXPlorers programme, we are inspiring young people to pursue STEM and empowering them to develop solutions through well-thought through processes”, adding that, “we are trying to strengthen the culture of innovation in Nigeria and show the youth that often times, the solution is within reach.”
He said that following a rigorous training session during which the students were put through the NXPlorers methodology, the students were able to harness the tools and use them to think through local and global issues by working on projects that aim to provide solutions, in part or in full to challenges faced in the Niger Delta.
“Increasingly, as the world population grows, there is a global challenge to food, water and energy which are tightly interlinked. Water is necessary for food production just as it is instrumental for the food supply and value chain. Energy on the other hand is required to produce and distribute water and food; and for processing and transportation of food. These challenges do not have set solutions but they look to sustainable innovations to change the narrative,” Weli explained, adding that NXPlorers provides the complex solutions through creativity and innovation.
Weli noted that, “young people have the capability to create positive movements for change,” pointing out that, “the possibilities and ever-increasing opportunities in the STEM world are endless”, and challenged parents and other corporate entities to join Shell to point the students in the right direction by using available resources judiciously to make a huge difference in their lives.
In their goodwill messages, representatives of Science Teachers Association of Nigeria (STAN) and British Council, Kpekot Atemie and Uchechi Awaraka, respectively, lauded Shell for the initiative to focus the students’ attention on developing innovative skills that would enable them find workable solutions to the complex problems facing the people of the Niger Delta, particularly in the areas of food-water-energy and value chain with a view to making life sustainable and brighter for posterity.
In his Lead Presentation exploring the issues around the theme for this year’s World Environment Day: “Beat Plastic Pollution”, as a trigger to connect the students to the missing nexus, Senior Research Adviser, Environmental Team, SPDC, Prof Arthur Esaaghah, reminded the students of the tasks ahead of them in finding effective solutions to the challenges posed by plastic pollution in the states of the coastal region.
Esaaghah drew attention of the students to the alarming death tolls in marine lives annually as a result of plastic pollution, pointing out that in the next couple of years, the quantum of plastics in the ocean would exceed the number of fishes, and warned that with the lifespan of plastics running into over a 1000 years and the poisonous consequences to humans and marine lives, it was expedient for the students to find alternative ways to drastically reduce reliance on plastics in the lives of people in the Niger Delta.
In her remarks, Shell’s Social Performance Manager, Gloria Udoh said that the exhibition provides an opportunity for credible testimonies on the capacity of the STEM students to explore their potential for creative and innovative ideas that could change the future for the better, and charged them to think and probe deeper to find efficient solutions to the people’s daunting challenges in solving the complex problems in the food-water-energy nexus.

Nelson Chukwudi

Niger Delta

850-bed UCTH overstretched, services 5m patients – CMD

Published

2 days ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), Prof. Ikpeme Ikpeme, has said the 850-bed hospital is overstretched, as it currently serves over five million patients.

He disclosed this on Friday during a media tour of the facility to showcase ongoing renovations and facelift in the hospital.

The CMD noted that, aside being the only tertiary healthcare facility servicing the state, UCTH also serviced neighbouring states of Akwa Ibom and Ebonyi.

He said the hospital also received referrals from neighbouring countries, including Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Central African Republic.

According to him, the 850-bed hospital faced persistent space constraints because of increasing patients inflow and expanding healthcare demands.

“This hospital currently operates 62 clinical and non-clinical departments as well as between 30 and 38 wards covering medical, surgical, paediatric, orthopaedic and specialised services.

“Most wards have undergone facelift, remodelling, or complete renovation to improve patient care and working conditions for healthcare professionals”, he said.

He disclosed that the hospital was constructing a new 106-bed emergency medicine facility to address the rising demand for healthcare services.

According to him, the facility will include trauma bays, intensive care units, neonatal wards, and three fully equipped trauma theatres.

Speaking on the remodeled wards, Ikpeme explained that they followed modern nursing principles, allowing one nurse to attend to a maximum of 10 patients.

He said relatives would be restricted to designated waiting areas to reduce interference with medical procedures and improve emergency response efficiency.

The CMD noted that the hospital had strengthened specialist services in orthopaedics, neurosurgery, obstetrics, radiology, and minimally invasive surgery.

“UCTH now performs hip and knee replacements, arthroscopy, sports medicine, and complex brain tumour surgeries.

“Our surgeons also conduct keyhole procedures for appendectomy, hysterectomy and other conditions with faster patient recovery periods,” he said

In power, the CMD said the hospital relied on solar power from a seven-megawatt plant, constructed by the Federal Government at the University of Calabar, as well as public power supply, and generators to sustain its operations.

He appealed to governments, organisations, and philanthropists to support infrastructure expansion, equipment procurement, and specialised healthcare projects.

The CMD said the hospital required additional incubators, ward expansions, and a stand-alone amenity facility for private healthcare services.

He used the opportunity to dismiss allegations of ethnic discrimination, insisting that the hospital does not reject workers or patients based on tribe or origin.

According to him, the institution recently honoured an Igbo pioneer physician by naming a ward after him in recognition of decades of service.

The CMD said the hospital maintained strict disciplinary procedures to address negligence, poor attitude, and unethical conduct among staff.

The Tide’s source reports that some of the units visited include, intensive care unit, Department of Radiology, Urology Clinic, and Opthalmology Clinic.

Niger Delta

Police Burst Child Trafficking Syndicate In A’Ibom … Nab 3 Suspects

Published

2 days ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Police Command in Akwa Ibom State says it has busted a child trafficking syndicate and arrested three suspects for conspiracy and unlawful sale of a newborn baby in the State.

The State’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Timfom John, who disclosed this in a statement in Uyo on Friday, said the three female suspects were arrested on Wednesday at about 1900hrs.

She said a complainant reported that his wife gave birth to a baby boy on May 7 and shockingly, shortly after delivery sold the newborn child to one of the suspects for N145, 000.

“Upon receipt of the report, operatives immediately swung into action, leading to the arrest of the suspects and the successful recovery of the baby boy.

“The suspects reportedly confessed to the crime during interrogation, while investigation has been expanded to identify and apprehend all individuals connected to the trafficking syndicate”, John said.

She said the State’s Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare, reiterated the Command’s commitment to sustaining aggressive intelligence-led policing in the state.

Niger Delta

A’Ibom Launches Operation Crack Down Scrap Dealers

Published

2 days ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Akwa-Ibom State Government has launched a statewide crackdown on unregistered scrap dealers and scavengers, shutting down illegal operations and arresting operators accused of violating environmental and public safety regulations.

The enforcement operation, led by the Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency (AKSEPWMA), followed the implementation of the state’s Waste Metal Scrap Law 2026, officials said.

AKSEPWMA Chairman, Obong Prince Ikim, said the exercise was aimed at regulating the scrap sector, protect the environment, and prevent criminal groups from operating under the guise of waste collection and metal trading.

“If you want to do scrap business, you must register,” Mr. Ikim said during the operation in Uyo, the state capital.

“Many people now hide under scrap trading to perpetrate nefarious activities”, he said.

According to him, dump site operators and scrap dealers who failed to register with the government risked closure and prosecution.

Authorities accused some operators of involvement in vandalism of public infrastructure and indiscriminate waste disposal, adding that investigations had uncovered criminal activities linked to several dump sites across the state.

“Some people vandalise government facilities in the name of scrap business and encourage indiscriminate dumping of refuse,” Mr. Ikim said.

He added that the state government and security agencies would continue efforts to enforce compliance and maintain public order.

“The Commissioner of Police has zero tolerance for criminality, and the Governor wants Akwa Ibom people to sleep with their eyes closed. We will fish out every defaulter”, he said.

Police officials involved in the operation said investigations showed that some criminal suspects used scrap yards and refuse dump sites as cover for illegal activities.

CSP Okwuzulike Vincent of the Itam Police Station said some suspects pretended to be mentally unstable while hiding ammunition and other suspicious items in makeshift shelters around dump locations.

The police officer praised the environmental agency for what he described as proactive efforts to sanitise the sector and pledged continued cooperation between law enforcement and the agency.

Officials said some first-time offenders arrested during the operation were released after profiling and signing undertakings, while repeat offenders would face prosecution.