By Isaiah Eka
Uyo, Dec. 18, 2025 (NAN) – In a significant intervention addressing a critical human rights and welfare issue, the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) has commissioned and donated a solar-powered borehole facility to the Uyo Custodial Centre. This project directly tackles the chronic water scarcity that has plagued the facility, while the association also pledged pro bono legal services for 115 inmates.
The donation underscores a growing recognition within Nigeria’s legal community that the right to human dignity, enshrined in the Constitution, extends to incarcerated individuals. Access to clean water is not merely a convenience but a fundamental requirement for health, hygiene, and basic human dignity.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, the Chairman of NBA-SPIDEL, Dr. Uju Agomoh, explained that the intervention was a direct response to a plea from the custodial centre’s authorities during a visit on December 1st, as part of the section’s week-long conference in Akwa Ibom State.
“Water was highlighted as a paramount challenge,” Dr. Agomoh stated. “Upon investigation, we identified unreliable electricity as the root cause of the water supply problem. Rather than a temporary fix, we sought a sustainable, permanent solution—hence our decision to install a solar-powered borehole. This ensures water supply is decoupled from the national grid’s inconsistencies.”
She urged both the management and inmates to adopt a strong maintenance culture to ensure the longevity and optimal utility of the facility.
Beyond infrastructural support, Dr. Agomoh announced NBA-SPIDEL’s commitment to providing free legal services to 115 inmates at the correctional facility. This dual approach—addressing immediate physiological needs and tackling often-lengthy pre-trial detentions or legal bottlenecks—represents a holistic model of public interest intervention. It aligns with NBA-SPIDEL’s core mandate of using the law as a tool for social development and justice.
In his remarks, the Controller of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) Command in Akwa Ibom, Mr. Theophilus Okoka, lauded the donation as “timely and well-intended.” He emphasized the transformative impact reliable water access would have.
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“Water is an essential need whose role in improving hygiene, health, and overall welfare cannot be overemphasized,” Okoka said. “This solar-powered borehole is dear to our hearts. It will significantly ease operational stresses, reduce the burden of water scarcity, and profoundly enhance living conditions within this facility.” He described the project as a “promise fulfilled” and called on other corporate and professional bodies to emulate NBA-SPIDEL’s stakeholder collaboration model.
The Officer-in-Charge of the Uyo Custodial Centre, Dr. Ezekiel Inyang, also commended the gesture, pledging the centre’s commitment to the proper maintenance and sustainability of the water project.
This initiative by NBA-SPIDEL highlights a critical, yet often overlooked, nexus between infrastructure, human rights, and legal advocacy. Overcrowding and poor conditions in custodial centres remain a severe challenge in Nigeria. Interventions like the solar-powered borehole directly impact daily life, reducing disease risk and improving morale, while the offer of legal aid attacks the problem at a systemic level. The project serves as a practical case study for how professional associations can leverage their expertise and resources for tangible public good, moving beyond advocacy to actionable, sustainable solutions.
(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
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Edited by Azubuike Okeh
