STIC: UNICROSS will be LIVE in London this Sept – VC

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cross River State, UNICROSS, Professor Augustine Angba, has stated that the university will be live in London this year, for the first time in the university’s history.

He stated this today, July 23 at the multi-purpose hall of the Calabar campus of the university, on the occasion of the reception ceremony for Team DC Solar Element Stove from UNICROSS that emerged as National champion of the Nigeria Content Science and Technology Innovation Challenge (STIC).

The Vice-Chancellor said: “In September 2021, UNICROSS will be flying the Nigerian colours in London. We will be flying Africa’s colours in London. I want to assure you all that we are not going to settle for anything less than first. When we come back from London with the first position, the reception ceremony will be an African affair at the Margaret Ekpo International Airport in Calabar.”

He praised members of the victorious team for making UNICROSS proud and enjoined all students of the university to take a cue from them to also achieve glorious feats for themselves and the university.

Equally, the Vice-Chancellor encouraged all staff of the university to key into diverse areas of research and tap from available research grants for the promotion of science and technology.

Also speaking at the reception ceremony, Professor Babson Ajibade, Faculty Team leader of the victorious team, explained that the Science Technology Innovation Challenge was organised by the Nigerian Content Development Board (NCDB) to encourage local content in technological innovation.

He said: “Too often, we import all technologies. It doesn’t work well for the economy that we import all sorts of things including toothpicks. STIC seeks to solve Nigeria’s problems by using local content.”

Therefore, Professor Babson added that Team DC Solar Element Stove chose to do something that will impact on the life of the common man by coming up with a stove that would enable people to cook faster, better and cheaper.

He said: “Right from the beginning, it was a great task. It was interesting because when we started, we didn’t know that our idea will grow to become the best idea among 511 ideas of all universities in Nigeria. All the big universities were there. But UNICROSS beat them all. It is not the size of the university that matter but the size of the willpower to achieve. It may be a small university. It may be a young university in one small part of Nigeria.”

He gave credit to the organisers of the competition for allowing transparency and merit to thrive throughout the duration of the competition.

Meanwhile, the reception ceremony for Team DC Solar Element Stove also featured the recognition of deserving winners of the Vice Chancellor’s scholarship to the best-behaved students of various Faculties of the university.

The ceremony was preceded by a procession of the Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellors and Management staff of the university, Deans, HoDs, as well as staff and students.

It prominently displayed the cookstove and started from the university’s main gate to the multi-purpose hall.

A live band led the procession with melodious tunes, to the admiration of several onlookers.

-The Paradise