C’River Govt Moves to Fix Channel 1 Drainage, Boosts Sanitation in Markets
Hannah Arikpo
The Cross River State Commissioner for Environment, Hon. Obol Moses Osoɠi, has announced that the state government will tackle the abandoned Channel 1 drainage system at Archibong Ika Street, off Eneobong Avenue between the UNICROSS/UNICAL Poultry Farm in Calabar South, during the next dry season.
Obol Osogi disclosed this in a statement after monitoring the August 2025 environmental sanitation exercise in Calabar.
He blamed the persistent flooding in the area on human activities such as indiscriminate dumping of refuse into gutters and the erection of structures along water channels, which have obstructed proper drainage.
“The Prince Bassey Edet Otu–led administration is sensitive and proactive to the yearnings of the people. With what I have seen, I will discuss with my boss and I’m certain that by the next dry season the matter will be addressed. However, let me alert you that in the process of fixing the drainage, structures erected along the channel will be demolished. It is our duty, and we know what to do,” Osogi warned.
A resident of the area, who pleaded anonymity, lamented that since the project was abandoned by the previous administration, residents have endured untold hardship, including incessant flooding during the rainy season and reptiles invading their homes.
The Commissioner commended residents who turned out in large numbers for the sanitation exercise, describing their participation as a strong sign of public support.
At the Watt Market, Osogi expressed satisfaction with traders’ compliance and ordered the relocation of additional dumpsters to accommodate the volume of refuse generated daily. He also directed that four extra trucks be deployed to evacuate silted waste from the gutters.
Friday Egbodo, popularly known as “Eho,” a trader at the Bedwell axis of the Watt Market, described the monthly exercise as one of the government’s best initiatives. “I come out every sanitation day to clean my shop and that of others. Cleanliness, they say, is next to godliness,” he said.
At Marian Market, traders complied by covering their wares and only attending to customers on demand. However, the sanitation monitoring team forcefully broke one of the gates to arrest defaulters who were trading during the exercise.
The monitoring team included the Permanent Secretary and directors of the Ministry of Environment, security agencies, and other officials.
