A 50-year water crisis at the Urualla Divisional Police Headquarters in Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State has ended following the commissioning of a solar-powered borehole donated by the Dan Ngerem Sports Foundation.
The project, which was initiated, funded and completed by the foundation founded by Dan Ngerem, was commissioned on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at the police headquarters.
The facility will provide clean and reliable water to personnel of the police division and residents of the host community, ending years of dependence on rainwater and neighbouring communities.
According to the foundation, the Urualla Police Division had lacked a sustainable source of potable water since its establishment in 1976.
“This is the first sustainable portable clean water delivery to NPF Division Hqtrs, Urualla since it was created in 1976, that’s 50 years of dryness broken!” the foundation stated.
It disclosed that about 800 feet of drilling was required to reach the water source, describing the depth as a major undertaking.
“800 feet drilling below the sea level to get water is not a joke!” the foundation added.
Speaking at the commissioning, the Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Audu Bosso, commended Ngerem for providing the facility, describing the intervention as a meaningful contribution to the welfare of police personnel and the surrounding community.
Bosso urged police personnel and members of the host community to protect the facility and ensure that it remains functional for the benefit of present and future users.
He also called on other sons and daughters of the community to support initiatives that address critical infrastructure and social needs.
The Police Community Relations Committee and community leaders also commended the foundation for addressing a challenge that had affected the area for decades.
The President-General of the community described the intervention as another demonstration of Ngerem’s commitment to community development, noting that the foundation had supported projects aimed at improving living conditions in Urualla and other communities.
Residents welcomed the development, with some saying the new water source would significantly ease the difficulty of obtaining water.
“We will no longer go to a far neighbouring community to fetch water,” one resident said.
The Divisional Police Officer of the Urualla Police Division, Thomas Ogugu, said access to water had been a major challenge at the division, with personnel previously depending on neighbouring communities and rainwater.
Ogugu expressed appreciation to the Dan Ngerem Sports Foundation for “remembering the police force” and providing a sustainable source of water for the division and its host community.
He said the project would provide significant relief to officers and residents who had struggled with access to water.
The foundation also expressed appreciation to Bosso, senior police officers, community leaders and other stakeholders who attended the commissioning.
It described Ngerem’s intervention as “very strategic and sustainable magnanimity to humanity,” while appreciating him and his family for supporting the project.
The project forms part of the Dan Ngerem Sports Foundation’s broader community development and humanitarian interventions beyond its sporting activities.
With the completion of the borehole, the Urualla Police Division and surrounding community now have a more dependable source of clean water after decades of relying on difficult alternatives.
As the foundation put it, “Today it’s no longer the absence of water but a presence of solution.”
