Residents of Ekpene Eki Community in Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State are seeking the presence of Government in their community in order to be closer to civilisation.

Residents of the hard-to-reach community lack basic amenities like Water, Hospital, School, access route and are basically living with the risks of open defecation.

Channels Television travelled on a bike popularly referred to as Okada for almost an hour through the rocky and narrow route into the community to have a first hand feeling of what the community is faced with.

The journey to Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State from Calabar, the State’s Capital, begins smoothly along tarred road but terminates at Okurikang Junction where the bargain for another mode of transportation begins to Ekpene Eki.

Malnourished Looking Children

The journey starts in earnest through very rocky, hilly and narrow paths.

It’s a tiring journey on bike at least for a first timer and it continues for almost one hour, Channels Television’s correspondent, Imani Odey, said.

She was duly informed that only experienced Okada riders ply the route for fear of falling off and having their bikes damaged and passengers injured.

“We finally arrive Ekpene Eki, one of the most remote communities not too far from Calabar, the State Capital.

“It’s a small community and indigenes here are predominantly farmers and fishermen.

“There is hardly a compound visited in the settlement that is not into cassava related trade,” she said.

The community is endowed with children having 90% per cent of them looking malnourished.

The village Head of Ekpene Eki, Etubom Okon Eyibio Ndowong, listed the problems, begging for solution and sought government’s intervention.

“We have problem of water and sickness here. In fact the person we have here or the nurses we have here could not represent us well because of the bad road here. And sometimes when he or she goes home for weekend and may not be able to come back in time. Sometimes some other things happen and we will be looking for some other help.

“In fact, one cannot help us. Look at the road there, before you reach Okurikang you suffer a lot. Seeing me sitting down here, I suffer a lot, I suffer a lot,” he lamented.

An Indigene of the community, Samuel Okon giving his own experience said: “The reason that am not happy is that; look at the kind of water that we are drinking, this is the only source of water we have in the whole community and it is a very serious problem to us.

“The other time, we heard that government assisted us through World Bank, they came into the village and all of a sudden they tried all to no avail and up till now, we have not even seen them coming again. It is much problem to us. I want the government to come and assist us. We are dying with this kind of water”.

Covered By Dead Leaves

Further probing into what the government had done to bring the community closer to civilisation as they demand, revealed that irrespective of the nature of the road, the Ben Ayade-led administration had situated a health post in the community though, not properly functional yet.

It was a good thing to have a look at their source of drinking water. Led to the source, Imani discovered that it was permanently covered by dead leaves.

The whole community drink from the same source of water, a situation that might be the cause for the protruded bellies of virtually 90% of the children here.

A State government official, who also visited Ekpene Eki, assured the residents that the government would look into their plight before the first quarter of this new Year.

The Director General, Cross River State Primary Health Care Development Agency Dr. Betta Edu said: “It is just an eyesore. This is not recommended and it does not represent what we stand for in Cross River State.

“The governor recently released some money to RUWASA, the water agency and they have been given the mandate to build boreholes in every community.

“This was done late last year and I would go back to that office to work together with them to ensure that this community receives priority and in the next two months they can have a beautiful source of drinking water”.

Speaking on the health hazards of the source of their drinking water, the DG further explained that “you cannot count the nameless diseases that would come to our children, to everyone in this community when they drink from this water. Of course, this community is not even open defecation free and so, we are even expecting more and more diseases. The list is endless”.

Lack Of Quality School

Their needs are enormous as acquiring qualitative education seems to be a bigger challenge even in this 21st century.

The school structure situated in the community according to them dates back to over four decades and the bushes around the area are used for defecation.

The Chairman, of SUBEB told Channels Television that Governor Ben Ayade is interested in the educational standard of its citizens which also concerns Ekpene Eki.

“You are aware of the fact that, upon assumption of office I came with the mandate to bring education closer to the grassroot and based on the fact that, Governor Ayade is very passionate about basic education, every community that does not have access to education will be given.

“That is why you discover that, on regular basis I go on tour and this community, this Ekpene Eki that you have just mentioned, I can assure you that by 2017, we are going to give them a school so that, they can have a school that can groom their children to become useful not just to the state but the country as a whole,” he stated.

Stretching forward is another settlement still in Ekpene Eki, but not to be accessed by a four wheeled car nor a motor bike but foot journey.

Women around the settlement also want the government to assist them invest more in their trading business as well as the health demands of their children.