𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐂𝐄: 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐃𝐑. 𝐔𝐖𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐌𝐎 𝐔𝐃𝐎 𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐄𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐓𝐒 𝐆𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐔𝐘𝐎 𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐀

𝑰𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒐- 𝑬𝒕𝒂𝒔 𝑰𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒃𝒐𝒏𝒈

When Dr Uwemedimo Udo began his second term as the Chairman of Uyo Local Government Area on October 7, 2024, his administration promised to intensify the 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲 agenda with visible, people-centred projects. Between October 2024 and October 2025, Uyo LGA witnessed a series of tangible interventions that impacted infrastructure, business empowerment, education, health, human capital development, and electrification, designed to enhance service delivery at the grassroots level.

In mid-2025, Dr Udo commissioned the remodelled Uyo City Motor Park at Mbiabong Etoi. The facility, intended to curb touting, standardise commuter operations, and decongest adjacent roads, became one of his signature deliverables.

For many, that was more than an infrastructure project — it was a symbol of a promise kept and that sums up the tone of Dr Udo’s second-term administration — practical, people-focused, and deliberate in impact.

Speaking during the commissioning of the motor park and its facilities, Dr Udo explained that the dilapidated condition of the former facility had encouraged touts to operate from the roadside. He advised transporters to make use of the park now that it is functional.

“Here was flooded, which stopped motorists and commuters from accessing the park. This project is like opening up the ground and burying money, but I had promised myself that if there is an opportunity for me, I’ll reactivate the park and to the glory of God, we have been able to provide an asphalted access road with side drains to take out water whenever it rains. I appreciate Uyo people for the opportunity given to me to come for a second term, which has helped us to touch more lives”, he said.

𝐁𝐔𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄, 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐒

Empowerment remained the heartbeat of Dr Udo’s administration in the last one year. The major one was the disbursement of ₦100 million in business grants to over 160 indigenous traders and small enterprises within Uyo. The grant categories included ₦2 million, ₦1 million, ₦500,000 and ₦250,000, showing a wide-reaching impact on the local economy.

That intervention instantly shot the Chairman’s empowerment programme into history as one of the largest grassroots economic packages ever implemented by a Local Government in Akwa Ibom State. For beneficiaries like Ms Udeme Ekpe, a young fashion designer in Uyo, the grant was a turning point in her business.

Alongside the ₦100 million business grant, the council facilitated skills development training in entrepreneurship, digital literacy, and vocational crafts for about 30 youths to build capacity among the youths and ensure sustainability beyond cash interventions.

𝐏𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐀𝐋𝐋: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐉𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐔𝐏 𝐔𝐘𝐎 𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄

Through the #ProjectLightUpUyo campaign, electricity, one of the most persistent needs of residents, received strong attention. The Dr Uwemedimo Udo-led administration delivered multiple medium-capacity substations (500KVA units) to five communities; Eniong Offot, Ifa Ikot Okpon Etoi, Ikot Akpan Oku, Obio Offot and Mbiabong Ikot Akpan in the year under review. This initiative not only enhanced the electricity supply but also promoted economic activities and improved the quality of life for residents. The installations restored stable voltage to households and small businesses that had long depended on generators and candlelight.

𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏𝐒: 𝐀 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐈𝐍 𝐄𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

If education is the bedrock of development, Dr Udo’s administration has poured a strong foundation. In mid-2025, the council disbursed over ₦11 million in bursaries to students of Uyo extraction studying across tertiary institutions within and outside Akwa Ibom State.

The gesture, hailed by student union leaders, was both a financial relief and a morale boost. The bursary scheme further rekindled trust between the local government council and its young scholars, many of whom had lost faith in government bursaries.

Beyond bursary payment, Dr Udo introduced an annual ₦500,000 award for the Best Graduating Student in Chemistry at the University of Uyo, reaffirming his belief that knowledge remains the engine of transformation.

The administration, through the wife of the Chairman, Mrs Akaninyene Uwemedimo, continued civic education and back-to-school tours, supplying learning materials to primary schools across the four clans of Uyo.

𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘-𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐍 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐉𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐇 𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐒

Uyo’s development map in the past year reads like a catalogue of community needs met.

At Mbiabong Ikot Udo Uso, residents now enjoy potable water from a citizens-nominated borehole project — a direct outcome of the council’s participatory approach to development.

The health sector also received renewed energy. The Service Alone administration of Dr Udo partnered with the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Health to support Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) campaigns, routine immunisations, and public-health outreach programmes.

𝑳𝑬𝑨𝑫𝑬𝑹𝑺𝑯𝑰𝑷 𝑩𝑬𝒀𝑶𝑵𝑫 𝑼𝒀𝑶 𝑳𝑶𝑪𝑨𝑳 𝑮𝑶𝑽𝑬𝑹𝑵𝑴𝑬𝑵𝑻 𝑨𝑹𝑬𝑨

Dr Udo’s tenure also saw him emerge as Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Akwa Ibom State Chapter, giving Uyo a louder voice in inter-local government collaboration. His cordial working relationship with the State Governor, His Excellency, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno facilitated stronger alignment between local and state development agendas, ensuring that Uyo remained a model in the Governor’s ARISE Agenda.

𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗘, 𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗢𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗗

One year into his renewed mandate, Dr Uwemedimo Udo has redefined what grassroots leadership can look like — pragmatic, people-centred, and measurable.

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑈𝑦𝑜 𝐶𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑀𝑜𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑃𝑎𝑟𝑘 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑎𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑟 𝑓𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑝ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑦: 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑟𝑜𝑘𝑒𝑛, 𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑡, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟.

As Uyo steps into another year of governance, the story of Dr Uwemedimo Udo’s administration continues to echo through every corner of the city. His commitment to life-touching projects demonstrates his dedication to the betterment of Uyo, prioritising essential services and fostering a brighter future for all indigenes and residents.