LAGOS JUNE 29TH (URHOBOTODAY)-The people of Udu Local Government Area of Delta State have staged protests over what they described as gross marginalization of the people in the administration of Delta state, stressing that the celebration of 500 projects by the Governor Sheriff Oborevwori-led administration on his second year in office without a single project in Udu was the height of insensitivity, calling on the governor to redress the issue and attend to the demands of the Udu people.

The placard-carrying protesters, which filed out in strategic locations of Udu on Saturday, table 8 demands before Governor Oborevwori, noting that Udu had suffered for too long in the hands of successive administration and that the current governor, having performed beyond expectations, should extend his performance streaks to Udu in other to give the people a sense of belonging.

Addressing newsmen during the protest on Saturday, Comrade Goodluck Mukoro, President of the Emancipation Movement for Udu Progress, an advocacy group for Udu development founded by Udu Indigenes with membership drawn from the 32 Communities in Udu Kingdom to agitate for improved infrastructure for Udu, lamented the projects distribution by the Delta State Government which boasted of 500 projects in two years without one for Udu.

Reading from a written text on behalf of the group and the entire Udu people, duly signed by the President, Goodluck Mukoro and Secretary, Joseph Godday, the group tabled the 8 points demands of the Udu people to include reconstruction and dualization of main Udu road from express junction to ECN Junction to ease the pains of roda users who spend hours on the road daily due to its deplorable condition, Construction of Udu second bridge at Opete/Enerhen, Construction of Orhuhworun —Ohwrode—Otor-Udu road, Construction of Egiegi community road, and Completion of the abandoned the Delta Leisure Park at Oleri since former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan tenure.

Other demands of the Udu people are Establishment of a higher institution of learning in Udu, Construction of Ugbisi–Emadadja community road and Construction of Oleri community road to Obubu.

The protesters lamented that despite being one of the local Government Areas in Delta State that is home to oil and gas reserves, Udu is the most marginalized Local Government Area in Delta State with little or no Government’s presence.

‘’Udu is being intentionally neglected by the Governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. (Elder) Sheriff Oborevwori, by refusing to approve any project for us despite the deplorable state of infrastructures.

‘’Our roads have become death traps, our primary and secondary schools are dilapidated, our general hospital is in a state of abandonment, the leisure park at Oleri has since been abandoned after the tenure of Emmanuel Uduaghan who initiated the project, our Communities and major roads are ravaged by flood annually, Udu is completely absent from the Sherrif-led Delta State urban renewal plan, cities beautification and solar street light project on major roads, thereby leaving Udu in perpetual darkness and abandonment.

‘’The Uvwie, Warri South and Environs Development Agency created by the immediate past Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, despite delivering numerous drainage projects in Uvwie and Warri South, did not consider Udu for a single project, even though the areas captured in the bill that established the agency added parts of Udu, with it’s scope extending to Otor-Udu.

‘’Our appeals to Udu political elites have always been met with the excuse that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori did not win in Udu Local Government Area in the election that brought him to power yet, he has executed numerous projects in other Local Government Areas where he did not win in the state. The treatment being melted on Udu suggests that the Governor’s MORE AGENDA is selective, bias and vindictive.

‘’We are using this medium to once again call on the Governor, His Excellency Rt Hon (Elder) Sheriff Oborevwori to approve the top priority projects of the Udu people listed earlier for execution for sake of equity, inclusiveness and fairness to all. We want to unequivocally state that if the above listed projects are not approved within three weeks from the date of this publication, we shall stage a full scale mass protest that shall hold on 22nd and 23rd July, 2025, to further press for our demands without hesitation, in line with democratic norms’’ the group declared, stressing that the coming protests shall be massive and may involve complete shutdown of Udu to press home the demand of the people.

Daily Independence

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