Prince Mendy Archibong, founder of Prince Archibong Life Foundation,PALF, handing-over a water facility rehabilitated by PALF to Nto Ekpu Nyanyaha/Nto Abasi Uko community, Obot Akara local government area, Akwa Ibom state.
By Abasifreke Effiong
After 11 years of battling with the challenges of buying water for their daily use, Nto Ekpu Nyanyaha/Nto Abasi Uko community in Obot Akara local government area, Akwa Ibom state have been reconnected to public water supply.
A philanthropic organisation, Prince Archibong Life Foundation undertook the rehabilitation of the community’s mini water project which has been abandoned since 2010 and restored water to the community last week.
A resident of the community said for more than 11 years, the community have been buying water since the community water facility constructed by the Obong Victor Attah’s administration packed up.
The youth president of Nto Ekpu Nyanyaha/Nto Abasi Uko, Mr. Edidiong Akpan, said residents of the community tarried the whole night in excitement to fetch water from the facility after Prince Archibong Life Foundation rehabilitated it.
“You needed to see the excitement yesterday when this facility was made to function again. People tarried the night, queued up here and fetch water till the next morning because there was light. I begged them to go home and come back in the morning, but they ignored me. The excitement was much. We are grateful to Prince Mendy Archibong for this huge help given to my community”, he said on Saturday 12th February a day after the facility was rehabilitated.
Residents of Nto Ekpu Nyanyaha/Nto Abasi Uko trooping to fetch water at the facility rehabilitated by Prince Archibong Life Foundation.
Mr. Akpan disclosed that Nto Ekpu Nyanyaha/Nto Abasi Uko, with two polling units have a population of more than 3000 who depend on the community water facility.
Handing over the rehabilitated water facility to the community on Tuesday 15th February, the founder of Prince Archibong Life Foundation, Prince Mendy Archibong, urged the community to protect the facility against vandals.
He said the foundation will provide two additional water tanks for the facility to increase its service capacity to from 6,000 to 12,000 liters as requested by the community.
Archibong said Prince Archibong Life Foundation will continue to assist communities meet their basic needs while helping lift widows, children and youths out of abject poverty through its strategic human capacity development and interventions in healthcare education and agriculture.
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Indigenes and residents of Nto Ekpu Nyanyaha/Nto Abasi Uko led by the village head, Eteidung Sunday Udoudo, who came out en masse to witness the handing over of the project poured encomiums on Prince Mendy Archibong and Prince Archibong Life Foundation for helping the community overcome its challenge of buying water on daily basis.
Eteidung Udoudo thanked Prince Mendy Archibong for the intervention, saying that the rehabilitation of the water facility has broken the monopoly on sales of water in the community.
“What you have done will put an end to monopoly and the unjustified hike in the cost of water in this community. Those who have boreholes in the community were selling water per gallon as they like, they would just wake up and increase the price from N10, to N20, to N50. I sell my own at N10, but sometimes when I don’t have diesel to pump my water and sell, the other people will increase the price. That will stop now.”
Residents fetching water at the facility rehabilitated by PALF.
“We appreciate this help and the ones we received from this foundation during the COVID-19 lockdown. We pray that God will replenish and reward Prince Archibong for all the good things he had done for us”, the village head said.
The councillor representing Obot Akara ward 2, Mr. Aniefiok Udoisang, and the PDP Women leader from the area, Obongawan Paulina Udom, thanked Prince Archibong Life Foundation for the gesture.
Also speaking, the Priest in-charge of Methodist Church, Nto Ekpu Nyanyaha/Nto Abasi Uko, Rev. Mbukobong Essien, recalled that when he first reported to the church, the parishioners used to go to neighbouring community (Ikpe Mbak Eyop) to fetch water, saying that the water facility will be of immense benefit to the church.
Last year, Prince Archibong Life Foundation rehabilitated water projects in Obot Atan, Ikpe Usung Ita and Nsit Ikpe communities, restoring water supply to more than six communities in Obot Akara Local Government Area.
The foundation has given free UTME forms and facilitated registration for more than 160 candidates in Akwa Ibom, donated cars and motorcycles, sewing machines as well as grant for widows to support dry season farming.
