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NDDC commissions 500-bed space for UUTH medical students

By Inemesit Akpan-Nsoh, Uyo
15 July 2015   |   1:50 am
FOLLOWING the determination of the current Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to complete all projects awarded by previous boards, a 500 bed-space for University of Uyo (UUTH) medical students was commissioned at the weekend, 10 years after the award of the contract. According to the Managing Director of the Commission, Bassey Dan-Abia,…

HostelFOLLOWING the determination of the current Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to complete all projects awarded by previous boards, a 500 bed-space for University of Uyo (UUTH) medical students was commissioned at the weekend, 10 years after the award of the contract.

According to the Managing Director of the Commission, Bassey Dan-Abia, the NDDC had inaugurated nine hostels in different universities in the last one year of its coming into office.

Besides, Dan-Abia stressed that the gesture was in furtherance of the commission’s role to provide intervention in infrastructural development in states within the zone.

Going down memory lane he noted that when the present board came in, the contract for the project was awarded in 2004 with 19 others but the board placed emphasis on the completion of all on-going projects in line with the Federal Government’s directive.

Apart from the UUTH medical students, the host community the NDDC boss, said would enjoy 500 KVA transformers and a 275KVA generator for the students whenever there is power outage.

“This project started some 10 years ago with 19 others. When this present board came in, we placed emphasis on the completion of existing projects. We have commissioned nine university hostels within the last one year. We had to amend the original plan because we noticed that the university had no access road and perimeter fence. The host community and the university would also enjoy 500KVA transformers.”

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Uyo, Prof. Comfort Ekpo, thanked the commission for all its intervention programmes to the university, pleading for more reliable security measures on the donated facility to guarantee safety of the medical students.

“We sincerely appreciate this 500 bed space facility, the access road and the 275 KVA generating sets. But I want to note that there is absence of essential security in the facility. The students need burglary protection on all doors, windows and openings.”

“The perimeter fence should be completed, two security posts and metal protection for all drain channels, mosquito nets, drying lines etc. They would cost about N55million,” she pleaded.

Earlier, the state Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel represented by his deputy, Mr. Moses Ekpo, said government would continue to partner with Federal Government agencies, so that the needed development would be attracted to the state from the centre.

Besides, he noted that the provision of the hostel accommodation would go a long way in improving the capacity of the teaching hospital to train more doctors.

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