Indigenes of the popular mountainous and forest community of Buanchor in Boki LGA of Cross River State are crying out over lack of potable drinking water, access roads, schools and health facilities.
The village head, HRH Otu Douglas Owan and chairman of the community, Mr Otu Clemcy Otu, who spoke on the situation, said since 2012 when there was massive landslide that smashed much of the surrounding rocks, their water sources were polluted, leaving the population of over 12,000 people to depend on a distant tiny stream.
“Our people troop daily to the only source of drinking water which comes from the ground.
“It has become a small stream. It was not affected by the massive landslide which destroyed lots of houses and killed our people. Daily, we queue to take turn to fetch the water and bath.
“This is not good enough. It is very inconveniencing. We are a popular international tourist destination where white men and researchers come to the famous Afi Mountain Sanctuary, as well as the over 140 year old vast forest to study.
“We need development projects. As popular as our community is, there is no access road, no health facilities, no communication signals for the teeming tourists and our people, no electricity,” Owan lamented.
Also speaking, chairman of the community, Otu said they had lost members of the community during emergency, including when their women were in labour due to inaccessibility of distant and ill-equipped primary health centres.
He lamented that they have only five teachers in the local primary school, with population of over 300 children.
“In the only secondary school, I am told that there are only two government teachers.
“The state of these schools are very lamentable”, he said.
He pleaded that government should remember them by providing social amenities to make live easier, and to enable them get connected to the outside world.
Cross River: 140-year-old tourist community cries out over drinking water, amenities
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