When the news of the approval of a borehole to be sited in Olachor community in Okpoma was heard, every area was praying and hoping to be the beneficiary as good drinking water has been a major challenge in Okpoma, headquarters of Yala LGA of Cross River State in Nigeria.


It is the area where most meetings and workshops to share the Happiness Initiative values are organized in Yala and the Happiness Initiative President, Naomi, has visited each time she is in Nigeria.


The survey team arrived Olachor community on September 12, 2023, to identify the area with enough qualitative underground water where the borehole will be sited. The surveyor visited and checked six different areas in the community but could not find good result to approve the drilling of the borehole. He checked two areas at the Christ the King School premises but didn’t get a good result. He went further to Ipuole Olachor and did the survey in two areas without positive result. He was taken to two other areas but yet got no positive result leading to fears that the approved borehole may be taken to another community.


One of the community leaders and community school head teacher, Mr Odey Oko with the PDP Ward chairman, Hon. Napoleon Ogar suggested that he should also check around the Sun Moon Road area and when he did, he got a signal of presence of sufficient underground water for the borehole to be sited in the area. Yet, the Surveyor, Mr. Dele, who is resident in Benue state but engaged by the borehole drillers for the geological survey was not satisfied with his survey result and decided to stay over to the following day to check more areas.


He spent the night at our community center.


According to him: “I saw a dream where I was showed the direction along the road (Sun Moon Road) that I should check to get better water for the community” and when he did so in the morning he got a more positive result that an area along the road will be good with an estimate of about 70 meters depth to drill.


Later in the evening, the drilling team arrived in the area and slept over to begin work early the following day. Usually , boreholes around the Okpoma community gets water from 90 meters to 110 meters depth. However, in the process of drilling the borehole, sufficient water was found at 50 – 55 meters depth and everyone was surprised and residents said it was the “Sun Moon Miracle” that the project came to the area and water was found after drilling only 50 meters depth, the first time in the community history.


The drilling of the Federal government of Nigeria approved solar powered borehole,
Olachor community elders and chiefs as the internal reason for the miraculous location of this project in the area where water has been one of the most needed for many years.


The borehole project was facilitated by the honorable member, representing Ogoja/Yala Federal Constituency at the Federal House of Representatives through his office.


In the days ahead, the other installations shall be completed as the drilling was successful with enough water. We are grateful for the project and so happy that we can have a brother, Dele, who was the surveyor in this project.