NIGERIA, OBUBRA – The Cross River State Government has commenced the implementation of the ₦95 million Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) System for Health (WS4H) programme in Obubra Local Government Area, The Investigator reports.
The launch, held on October 27, 2025, at the Obubra Council Hall, marked the beginning of efforts to expand access to safe water, improved sanitation, and proper hygiene in the state. The programme is jointly organised by the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWATSSA), the Ministry of Water Resources, and Self Help Africa (SHA).
Declaring the meeting open, the Commissioner for Water Resources, Barrister Bassey Offiong Mensah, described WASH as “not merely basic needs but human rights and critical determinants of health and development.”
Mensah stressed that “up to 80 percent of diseases in developing regions are linked to poor water and sanitation,” adding that investing in WASH means investing in the “health, dignity, and prosperity” of citizens.
He explained that the stakeholders’ engagement was designed to strengthen collaboration between government agencies, partners, and local authorities to make WASH delivery more sustainable.
Commissioner for International Donor Coordination, Dr. Hippolatus Lukpata, commended the Obubra Council for embracing the project, urging residents to protect WASH facilities. “Prosecute any vandals; we have laws,” he warned.
Lukpata lamented that no local government area in the state currently maintains Open Defecation Free (ODF) status despite earlier achievements, calling for renewed community commitment.
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Vice Chairman of the State Planning Commission, Dr. Bong Duke, represented by Mr. Tommy Samuel, said the WS4H programme “represents a vital intervention to build a healthier and more sustainable Cross River State.”
RUWATSSA General Manager, Hon. Sunday Oko, pledged to relocate temporarily to Obubra for closer supervision, insisting, “This is not business as usual.”
Obubra Council Chairman, Hon. Kingsley Arikpo, thanked the state government for the initiative, urging traditional rulers to desist from destroying boreholes for profit.
Self Help Africa’s Senior WASH Officer, Mr. Ferdinand Anok, also urged residents to uphold healthy hygiene practices.
According to The Investigator, Governor Bassey Edet Otu had in August approved ₦95 million as counterpart funding for the three-year WASH intervention programme.