The residents of Osusuokpor, a community in Ikom Local Government Area of Cross River State, have expressed immense joy and appreciation following the provision of access to clean water.
Community chairman, Randy Njan, revealed that the village previously had no natural water sources such as ponds or streams. As a result, women and children were forced to walk long distances to neighboring Obubra LGA to fetch water for drinking and domestic use.
He made this known during the commissioning of a new borehole by their State House of Assembly representative for Ikom I Constituency, Samuel Neji Abang.
Njan lamented that the community had been largely neglected by authorities since the return of democracy in 1999, but noted that this intervention had finally brought relief to their long-standing hardship.
“Since 1999, we have been forgotten, but today we rejoice because we now have water — the essence of life,” he said. “In the past, especially during the dry season, our women and children would trek all the way to the Ikom-Obubra boundary just to fetch water. That suffering is now over.”
The new borehole is expected to significantly improve the standard of living in Osusuokpor by providing reliable access to safe drinking water.
Hon. Abang assured the community of more developmental projects in line with the “people first” agenda. Meanwhile, Ikom Council Secretary, Edo Owan, urged residents to take ownership of the project and ensure it is protected from vandalism.