HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
In the past, departments in the universities ordered equipment the way they liked, used and maintained them as far as they could get expertise to do so. This went on till a state where a lot of equipment needing repairs were left unattended to for various reasons. Experts in one department could not be used to help out in others where they were lacking as there was no organized structure to do so. The accumulation of unrepaired equipment led to deterioration of teaching and learning as many experiments could not be conducted in the universities.
However, in 1989, the National University Commission of Nigeria (NUC) in collaboration with the British Overseas Development Agency (ODA) initiated what was called University Equipment Maintenance (UEM) project.
OBJECTIVES OF THE UEM
The objectives of the project were as follows:
(a) Promotion and development of maintenance culture in Nigerian Universities where technical and scientific equipment continue to be used.
(b) Establishment of Pilot Maintenance Development Centers from which the maintenance culture could be cultivated in the Federal Universities.
(c) Assisting the Pilot Maintenance Development Centers evolve into Regional Centers for the provision of outreach training in equipment maintenance and the management of its technical staff for other universities.
(d) Advising the universities when new equipment are to be purchased.
It is in the pursuance of the above objectives that the University of Calabar was selected as one of the five Pilot Centers in the country. The Pilot Centers were named Equipment Maintenance Development Center (EMDC) and in 1990 selected staff were sponsored to Bristol, UK for training on maintenance of equipment. The EMDC (Unical) was assigned catchment universities with the specific functions of:
(a) Ensuring the setting up of Equipment Maintenance Canters (EMCs) in their catchment universities;
(b) Training of Technical staff and assisting as much as possible in the maintenance of their equipment.
CATCHMENT INSTITUTIONS OF OUR EMDC (UNICAL)
The EMDC Unical presently covers the following catchment institutions:
(1) University of Uyo, Uyo
(2) University of Port-Harcourt, Port-Harcourt
(3) Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike
(4) Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO)
(5) University of Calabar, Calabar.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Apart from staff training, repairing and putting back to use several faulty equipment in its catchment institutions, we have been able to set up Equipment Maintenance Centers (EMCs) in all our catchment universities. We have as well extended our expertise to service the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) Umudike. We are equally available for consultation to any agency that may need our services.

The facilities available in EMDC are tools which are used in repairs as well as a computer system for the processing of office documents.

Name:Mr E.I.O. Egbe
Email Address: