Residents of Angwan Mayo, a community in Kokona Local Government of Nasarawa State, have narrated how the borehole donated by China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) Nigeria Limited has provided access to portable drinking water for the people of the locality.
CHEC Nigeria Limited donated the water borehole as part of its corporate social responsibility during the successful dualization of the Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi road project.
Speaking to newsmen on an on-the-spot assessment of the project, residents said in just four years, Angwan Mayo has transitioned from a community with no basic facilities to one with portable drinking water and a good road network.
Baba Agabi, Village Head of the community, said the water borehole donated by CHEC has provided relief to the community who before now had to travel several kilometres in search of portable water. He stressed that the borehole now provides water for drinking, domestic purposes, and agriculture. He thanked CHEC for siting the project in his community and urged the Chinese company to do more for the Angwan Mayo people.
“The water borehole donated by CHEC has provided relief to the community who before now had to travel several kilometres in search of portable water. The borehole now provides water for drinking, domestic purposes, and agriculture. I thank CHEC for siting the project in my community and urge the Chinese company to do more for the Angwan Mayo people,” Baba Mayo said.
Also speaking, Emmanuel Ewuga, a youth leader in the community, said the water project has made life easier for residents who before now relied on water from the stream for their sustenance.
“Before this project, we relied on the river to get water, but thank God for China Harbour for bringing this water to our community. The project has provided us with water for drinking, washing clothes and other economic activities,” he said.
On the successful dualization of the Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi road by CHEC, Ewuga said the project has improved the economic and social well-being of the people of his community.
“Years back, we depended on wheelbarrows or bicycles to transport our harvested farm produce home or to the market. But since the completion of this project, we now use efficient means such as vehicles to transport our produce from the farms to the markets. These have significantly reduced travel time and transportation costs, thus increasing our productivity, output, and revenue.”
For David Kefas Umbugadu, the new road project has reduced the cost of transportation, improved the flow of goods and people, reduced road accidents, and increased economic activity along the route.
He said, “Before the dualization of this road, we had several challenges like road accidents, traffic congestion, and high cost of transportation. But now, these challenges have largely disappeared. Travel time from Akwanga to Keffi is now one hour, as against two to three hours. The community appreciates China Harbour for this noble project and appeals to them to fix our drainage system.”
According to Project Manager Wang Jijun, CHEC has embarked on several corporate social responsibility projects for host communities in line with the company’s values of high-quality returns and win-win cooperation.
He listed some of the welfare projects to include the provision of water boreholes, cultural, sports, and educational materials, sponsorship of the Nigeria National Youth Basketball League, repair of classrooms, and training programs for residents in construction, engineering, and technical skills. “At its peak, the road project created over 3,000 jobs for Nigerian employees,” he added.
