…As Oyibode assures of govt plans to fix Udu roads

Hundreds of residents from various communities in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State, along with several civil society groups, have staged a peaceful protest to express their deep dissatisfaction with what they described as long-standing government neglect and marginalisation by the Delta State Government, with a call on government to fix Udu roads, which are in deplorable condition.

Chanting slogans and bearing placards, the protesters made good their promise during an earlier protest, marching through key areas of the LGA and demanding fair treatment and equitable distribution of state development efforts, particularly reconstruction of the main Udu road from Udu bridge to ECN junction and the Orhuwhorun road to Otor-Udu through Owhrode.

The protesters acknowledged that the Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori has executed several projects in other parts of the state but lamented the absence of any landmark or meaningful state-driven development projects in Udu, two years into the current administration.

Speaking on behalf of community leaders, the President of Owhrode Community Comrade Jonathan Ogheneovo emphasized that despite being a major oil and gas producing area, Owhrode has been utterly neglected. He cited the poor state of roads leading to the community and the absence of critical infrastructure. He stated that the protest became inevitable after years of silence and failed expectations from the government.

One of the conveners of the Coalition of Civil Society Groups, Mr. Famous Akpojotor, stated that Udu has been completely sidelined in the implementation of the state’s MORE Agenda. He noted the lack of state government presence in the area, pointing out that Udu has no tertiary institution, vocational school, or functional central hospital. He further highlighted the deplorable condition of Main Udu Road, stressing that no efforts have been made to rehabilitate or improve it.

Also speaking during the protest, Comrade Onoriosen Tataunu for ‘Save Udu Forum’, Chief Jason Mudiagha of the ‘Make Udu Great’ and Mr. Harrison Umudi, a community leader, appealed to the governor for a second Udu bridge due to an increase in population of Udu communities.

The protesters also marched to the Udu Council secretariat to submit their list of demands to the Chairman of Udu Local Government Council, Chief Vincent Ogheneruemu Oyibode, who commended the protesters for their peaceful conduct, assuring them that he would convey the message to His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Elder Sheriff Oborevwori.

He emphasised that the governor had ordered the mapping of the Udu-ECN road for necessary attention, urging the protesters to return home and await government response to their requests.