By Kelvin Ololo
Walking into Ikot Effanga Mkpa Okom Community, one would wonder if he has found himself in the valley of death trapping the spirit, soul and body.
Once it is raining season, the community located in Calabar Municipality Local Government Area of Cross River State, lives in fear and loses sleep to a fierce ravine stealing and warring against the community for over a decade.
Most residents have also decided to stay out of their houses when it is raining.
“We don’t sleep with our two eyes closed especially when it’s raining, when the ravine is falling we used to hear a terrifying sound,” said a resident, Edet Asuquo.
They said that the ravine has sank over one hundred buildings, roads, worship centers and compelled landlords to become tenants as well as leaving many homeless, frustrated and unable to fight back to life. In all these plights, Cross River State Government unconcerned.
A quick gaze at the community from outside, one could see a community full of peace and calm but deep inside, they are residents suffering and have given up hope on their elected representatives despite their cries.
When this reporter visited the rampaging deep ravine and saw the faces of victims, all he could see were eyes clouded with pool of tears, plain and a sad tale of people sacked from their home without the salvation of government.
Pathetic Testimonies
Though how the ravine started opening its mouth wide and deep could not carefully be figure out to CrossRiverWatch with precise dates, but the devastation and havoc caused has left them dumbfounded with shocks and scary experiences they cannot easily erase.
An over 80-years-old community leader, Alphonsus Edet Archibong, explained that “the ravine had started a very long time ago and has expanded to where it is now, and about hundred houses have been swallowed up already.”
With eyes gathering tears, Mr. Friday George Obot who has been a landlord for 52 years is on the verge of losing his only house before his very eyes. The ravine has already swallowed a section of his building, and if it continues to rain, the whole building will be gone soon.
His house is not the only building on the awaited list of disasters, there are two story building and six bungalows already touched by the ravine including that of Mr. Friday Obot.
He lamented: “even now as I am standing here, I’m looking for a house, even if it’s one room. I beg the government to assist me park my things, I’m living here with my children,” he pleaded.
Monica obi, a landlady whose house is also on the edge, explains her misery: “sometimes when there is heavy rain, our hearts will be panicking, crying. We don’t know if our house will collapse.”
In a bid to explain the root cause, CrossRiverWatch toured around the community and it was discovered that in Ikot Effange Mkpa community, there is no proper drainage to empty water. When it rains, the area is flooded with water spreading everywhere and finding its way through the untie roads to the ravine, causing a consistent and timely breakage, and collapse of the steep of the ravine which had led to a drastic expansion everyday.
From the Murtala Mohammed highway, there are no drainages as well.This also allows water to pour into the community when it rains. The community had collectively set up intervention measures by planting bamboo plants down the ravine, planting of palm trees and trying to channel the drainages out to the highway, but the story remains the same.
Mr. Anietie Okon, who is counting his loss already, said “We have done embalmment, spent more than one million Naira to work on this place but it didn’t work. We have used pipes to control the water but to no avail, please the government needs to help us, we sleep with one eye now.”
Mr. Sam Jehu cried for government intervention, he alleged government negligence on the community and failure to keep to their campaign promises.
He hinted that since the administration of Donald Duke, no other administration sees the need to come to their rescue as the community is abandoned with little access to social amenities.
CrossRiverWatch visited the residence of Her Highness Obonganwan Atim Ekpenyong Effange Mkpa, the Village Head of Ikot Effange Mkpa community for three different days to get her thoughts and effort made to combat the ravine but she was not on seat. However, as early as 6:15AM of Monday July 14th, CrossRiverWatch knocked at her residence again, this time, she was set to step out with her cabinet. She told this reporter that ”the ravine has buried about three hundred houses in a couple of over fifteen years now.”
She disclosed that the community had reported to different administrations of government in the state, but each administration that comes, only visits the scene for inspection and do nothing about it after.
The Village Head appealed to Governor Bassey Otu and President Tinubu administration to intervene before the whole community is wiped out.
At different sections of the community, residents were seen constructing barricades in their groups, contending to protect their buildings in ward 9 of the community.
Commissioner For Environment, Moses Osogi Shy Away
Efforts to get the state government speak on this proved abortive as the Commissioner for Environment Hon. Moses John Osogi told CrossRiverWatch he was in a meeting and was going to respond back as of the time he was first contacted on 9 July 2025. Text messages and Whatsapp messages were also sent to his phone line to inform him of the essence of the interview but were not responded.
When he finally responded to the second call on 17th July 2025, he said “he doesn’t talk or take interviews on phone to avoid being misquoted.” A physical interview was then scheduled with him for Monday 20 July,2025.
Monday morning, this reporter defiled the rain to the Ministry Complex, Calabar and was directed by one of the two security personnel at the entrance of the Ministry to wait for the Commissioner in the Ministry’s Conference room where the reporter sat and waited for hours.
The Commissioner was later contacted on phone and he said “come tomorrow, I traveled and I’m not yet back”.
Rain has laid hold on Calabar, the cold and wetness of Monday was not different from that of Tuesday 22 July 2025, except that the reporter was able to interface with the Commissioner physically. After waiting from 10:42AM to 4:40 PM , the Environment Commissioner still refused to speak on the worsening situation of Ikot Effanga Mkpa Okom Community.
Also, after waiting for more than six hours, he said: “a lot of people are waiting, see.. (turning his CCTV monitor on his table to the reporter) we should reschedule this interview,” with no date fixed.
As the clouds gather each day, the people of Ikot Effange Mkpa Community ponder the reality and their fate staring them face-to-face.
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