OpeOluwani Akintayo
Lagos — Succor has finally come the way of staff and students of Faculty of Science, University of Maiduguri, UNIMAID following construction and handing over of a 60KW hybrid solar power system to the university management by TotalEnergies and partners (NNPC, SAPETRO, PRIME 130 and CNOOC).
The ceremony which was held at the Faculty on Wednesday saw the school management taking charge of the solar system after 10 months of zero power supply from utility firm to the school.
The design and supply of the solar power system comes with all necessary structural integrity and other external works to include a 60KWp solar PV and 30kwh Lithium Battery, inverters and monitoring device, aimed at reducing energy cost and dependency on generating sets.
The power generating unit also contains 120 Solar panels 495V, 3 units of 15kVA Victron Quattro Inverters, 2 Units of 25kVA Fronius Inverters, 14 Units of 3.5kWh Pylontech Lithium – ion batteries, 1 Unit of AC panel, and 1 Unit of Venus GX monitoring device.
Presenting the keynote address on behalf of Mike Sangster, Country Chair TotalEnergies Upstream Companies in Nigeria, Victor Bandele, Deputy Managing Director, Deepwater Asset TotalEnergies, said the projects scattered across the country, were borne out of the need to mitigate the gaps in qualitative and technical education, maternal and child health, access to clean water and women and youth empowerment.
The projects, according to him; “are in congruence with the related United Nations Sustainability Development Goals. The locations of these projects have also been very carefully chosen for maximum impact, coming from a need assessment carried out before the deployment.
“As already mentioned, the project we are commissioning today is one of the several projects being deployed across the entire country. Unfortunately, because of the Covid-19 pandemic we could not be physically present with you today. However, we have adopted this efficient and effective remote commissioning strategy to ensure delivery of all completed projects. I thank our senior partners, NNPC, and our PSC partners, SAPETRO, PRIME and CNOOC, who have joined us in providing the means, the processes and the resources that enabled us to deploy these local development projects. I also thank our several stakeholders including the State & Local Governments, beneficiary institutions and the Project Managers for their support. As we hand over the project to you today, we implore you to ensure its sustainable use to impact on the people positively. The sustainability barometer shall be seen during our Impact Assessment Exercise, when we will come back to check how this project has helped and improved the impact of the hospital and lives of the benefitting community,” he said.
Bunmi Lawson, on behalf of Bala M. Wunti, Group General Manager, National Petroleum Investment Management Services, NAPIMS said the facility will encourage both students and staff of the faculty who have been starved of a basic need such as electricity, to embark on scientific researches for the development of education in Nigeria.
According to her, NNPC would continue to champion social interventions across the country in an ethical and sustainable manner, and deal with the environment and social impacts occasioned by its activities.
“We pride ourselves in our slogan “we touch your lives in many positive ways”, hence the approval for the deployment of various CSR projects by our operators across the country for maximum impact. NNPC along with its partners have implemented various projects in the areas of education (building and equipping of schools/ classrooms, laboratories, donation of books, scholarships, Quiz competitions, etc.) skill acquisitions and economic empowerment, healthcare, solar power and other infrastructural intervention projects.
“These projects were borne out of the need to mitigate the gaps in Health Care, Quality Education, Water, and Women & Youth Empowerment in line with the relevant Millennium Development Goals (MDG). NNPC and its Partners are socially responsible organisations committed to improving the livelihood of the citizens of our great country, Nigeria.
“NNPC will continue to consistently champion the implementation of Sustainable Community Development projects that will positively impact the lives of the citizens of this Country. We are very proud and elated to be commissioning yet another laudable and essential project. We know that this facility will help provide succor to the people for the purpose it is intended,” she said.
On behalf of the partners, Luc Vanson, General Manager, Prime 130, said the company was proud to be part of such a laudable initiative especially because access to electricity is one of the basic and essential human needs.
“On behalf of the partners, we are proud to identify with the project as we want to make sure that Nigerians have access to quality education, clean water, and international standard healthcare system,” he said, enjoining the school to maintain the facility.
In his speech, Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Aliyu Shugaba, thanked TotalEnergies and partners for the laudable project.
“I want to appreciate NNPC, TotalEnergies and partners for this project. Discussion started in January, and by March, the project proposal was all ready. The project was executed in just three months”, he said.
“The university has suffered from lack of electricity supply for 10 months and we have to rely greatly on diesel and PMS. In fact, it breaks my heart any time I want to sign bills expended to provide power for the school, hostels, staff quarters, lecture rooms and others. We spend over 15 million for just one truck of diesel, and we use four trucks in a month. Yet, we still have o increased supply during examination periods”.
Explaining further, he said, it was already agreed at the last Council meeting, that an alternative source of energy be sourced.
“We appreciate this intervention by TotalEnergies”, he said, enjoining the partners to also provide more of such facilities for other faculties, including other interventions for the general school.
“I assure you that we will put this facility to best use,” he said.