Security, Infrastructure, Welfare Top Agenda As Udu Chairman Marks One Year Of Transformation

Udu Local Government Chairman, Chief Vincent Oyibode, has said peacebuilding, security enhancement and human capital development formed the foundation of his administration’s one-year transformation drive.

He made this known when a delegation of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Delta State Council, led by Chairman Comrade Churchill Oyowe, visited to inspect completed and ongoing projects.

Oyibode said his administration quickly tackled inherited communal crises in Okpaka, Opete, Ogbodu, Okolo Island, Otor-Udu and Orovwokpokpor, restoring peace and improving relations among youths, leaders and neighbouring communities.

To strengthen security, he disclosed that Udu is building the first-ever divisional police station in Delta State, complete with administrative offices, detention cells, female and juvenile facilities, and a DPO residence.

He described the facility as a game changer for attracting investors, banks and corporate establishments, while maintaining Udu’s status as the safest local government in Delta State.

Other infrastructure projects include a chapel for daily prayers, a new chairman’s office complex, and 11 lock-up shops for the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) to boost internally generated revenue.

Ongoing works also include a duplex for the chairman’s office and two bungalows for supporting staff, as well as clearing and documenting the council’s 19.5-acre land to prevent encroachment.

Oyibode noted that Udu is the first council in Delta State to implement the national minimum wage, clear workers’ outstanding claims and provide Christmas incentives for improved staff welfare.

On environmental sanitation, he said residents are mobilized to clean drains and clear grasses or face mobile court prosecution, ensuring cleaner neighbourhoods and improved public health.

Health interventions include polio and malaria campaigns, with plans to construct health centres in all ten wards to ease pressure on existing facilities and expand access to healthcare.

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He also unveiled plans to build libraries in primary schools to boost reading culture, provide power using compressed natural gas (CNG), and grade streets during the dry season.

Oyibode said sports development is a priority, noting Udu’s victory in the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) Football Cup and the forthcoming launch of a football club to empower youths and reduce restiveness.

He assured residents that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori had begun addressing Udu’s road challenges before recent protests, urging gratitude for ongoing projects and accountability from past leaders.

The chairman invited investors to explore opportunities in Udu, stressing its peaceful environment, vibrant population and abundant economic potential, despite financial strain from pending litigations.

NUJ Chairman, Comrade Churchill Oyowe, said the inspection was part of a scorecard initiative to promote excellence, transparency and healthy competition among councils across Delta State.

The NUJ team later visited selected projects for on-the-spot verification, confirming visible progress in infrastructure, welfare and peacebuilding in the local government area.