Four Years of Transformation: How Dirioha Took UDAN Lagos from Debt Recovery to Permanent Home
Immediate past of UDAN Lagos Branch Mr Christopher Diriohoa rendering account of his four years stewardship
As Dirioha hands over the leadership baton to Kennedy Okafor, UDAN Lagos Branch celebrates four years of debt recovery, land development, institutional renewal, welfare intervention and an unprecedented football record
When Mr. Dirioha Christopher Onyeji assumed leadership of the Uturu Development Association (UDA), Lagos Branch, in September 2022, the association inherited more than an office and a title.
There were old debts to recover, constitutional provisions that needed review, an unfinished quest for a permanent meeting place, strained relationships with some members and financial obligations hanging over the branch.
Four years later, as Dirioha handed the leadership baton to the newly elected Chairman, Mr. Kennedy Eugene Okafor, the outgone chairman presented a record that stretched far beyond a conventional end-of-tenure report.
There was a permanent home in Iyana-Oba.
There were recovered empowerment funds.
There was renewed standing within the Abia State Town Unions Association (ASTUA) and UDAN National.
There were welfare interventions running into millions of naira.
And, perhaps most memorably, there was football glory.
Under the administration, the branch’s Target Shooters Football Club won the prestigious Uturu Football Association (UFA) Cup four consecutive times, a feat Dirioha described as unprecedented in the history of UDAN Lagos Branch and a record for a Uturu branch since the tournament began in 1982.
But the outgone chairman’s valedictory address was not simply a celebration of victories. It was also an honest account of the difficulties, sacrifices and collective effort behind them.
A difficult road to four years
The administration was inaugurated on September 25, 2022, following an election held on August 28 of the same year. Its guiding mantra was “Together for Greater Heights.”
Looking back, Dirioha acknowledged that the journey was far from smooth.
The branch mourned the death of its Chairman Emeritus, Prince George Chukwuma Ndubuisi. Attendance at meetings also became a recurring concern, with some members rarely making appearances while others struggled to meet their financial obligations.
Punctuality was another challenge.
The outgone chairman lamented that habitual lateness affected both the commencement and conclusion of monthly meetings.
There was also the disappointment of the planned 2025 Iri-ji celebration, which failed to take place.
And, in a conciliatory moment, Dirioha acknowledged that members of the executive, himself included, might have offended some members in the course of carrying out their duties.
He appealed for those grievances to be left in the past.
The message was unmistakable: the administration was closing its chapter not by pretending everything had been perfect, but by acknowledging the disagreements and challenges that came with leadership.
The debt that had lingered for eight years
One of the administration’s earliest major assignments was to tackle the branch’s outstanding empowerment funds.
According to Dirioha, some of the money had remained with members for more than eight years before the new executive came into office.
The administration launched an aggressive recovery effort and reported that all the outstanding funds were eventually recovered.
Rather than allowing the recovered resources to sit idle, the money was redirected into the development of the branch’s land at Iyana-Oba.
That decision would become one of the defining features of the administration.
What began as a financial recovery exercise eventually became a physical transformation.
From rented venues to a permanent home
For years, having a permanent meeting place had been a dream.
Under Dirioha’s leadership, that dream began to take physical shape.
The branch completed fencing of its property at Iyana-Oba, installed an iron gate, paid its street association levy, undertook sand-filling and repeatedly cleared the perennial bushes that threatened to overrun the premises.
A second round of sand-filling followed.
A temporary structure was erected and plastered. A mini-launch was organised to support further development. Sixty chairs and three tables were purchased, while a wooden bridge was constructed across the gutter in front of the property to improve access.
The branch also acquired chains, brooms and a padlock to secure its property and furniture.
Then came the symbolic moment.
UDAN Lagos Branch moved its meetings to its permanent site.
For an association whose members had operated from rented venues, the development represented more than bricks, sand and iron.
It gave the branch an address of its own.
Dirioha therefore recorded the development as one of the administration’s most important achievements.
Rebuilding relationships and membership
The administration also began with an effort to repair relationships.
Immediately after assuming office, the new executive visited elders and members who had become aggrieved or withdrawn from the association.
Dirioha said the visits produced positive results, with several members renewing their membership and reconnecting with the branch.
The administration also created a second UDAN Lagos social platform to separate informal social conversations, jokes and forwarded messages from official association business.
The objective was simple: keep the main communication platform focused on matters requiring the attention of members.
The branch also created an Association of Chairmen and Secretaries of the Seven Ancient Villages of Uturu in Lagos, designed to create a platform for the different village unions to exchange ideas and work collectively for the development of Uturu.
Dirioha urged the incoming administration to preserve the platform rather than allow it to disappear.
A stronger voice in ASTUA and UDAN National
Another major part of the administration’s story was institutional relevance.
Dirioha recalled that UDAN Lagos Branch had nearly lost its standing within ASTUA because of indebtedness.
The administration negotiated a rebate arrangement and restored the branch’s financial standing.
According to the outgone chairman, the branch subsequently became a force to reckon with within ASTUA.
The renewed relationship also created opportunities for members, including participation in ASTUA’s Christmas free-bus programme sponsored by the Abia State Government.
For the first time in the history of UDAN Lagos Branch, a member also contested an elective position in the ASTUA election in 2025.
At the UDAN National level, the branch said it inherited and cleared outstanding indebtedness and restored itself as a financially compliant branch.
That renewed standing had its own consequences.
Its Secretary, Mr. Richard Nwachukwu, subsequently contested and won the position of National Welfare Officer at the UDAN National election in December 2023.
Dirioha said the branch had since remained consistent in paying its dues and levies.
Lagos Branch’s growing influence
The outgone chairman also pointed to the increasing presence of Lagos Branch members in the affairs of UDAN worldwide.
Barrister Kingsley Ugoagha emerged as Chairman of ECUDA, while Mr. Kenneth Ofor Nwaro became Chairman of the Electricity Committee and also chaired the 2024 Uturu Day celebration.
Dirioha himself served as Deputy Chairman of the UDAN Worldwide Constitution Review Committee.
He also participated prominently in the committee that prepared memoranda for the Abia State Visitation Panel to Abia State University (ABSU).
Dirioha linked that advocacy to subsequent developments concerning ABSU’s campuses.
He recalled that on November 4, 2024, Governor Alex Chioma Otti, acting on the recommendation of the visitation panel, ordered the immediate relocation of the ABSU Umuahia Campus to Uturu.
He further noted that the Abia State House of Assembly recently passed a bill concerning the return of all ABSU campuses to Uturu.
When welfare became more than words
Beyond institutional politics and infrastructure, the administration placed considerable emphasis on members’ welfare.
One of the most striking interventions came in 2024, when a member whose shop was completely destroyed by fire received financial assistance of slightly less than N2 million from the association.
For the affected member, the intervention provided an opportunity to return to business.
The administration also honoured two elders, Chiefs Paulinus Iroegbu and Orji Bernard, who retired from active service in July 2026.
The branch hosted a send-off for them and presented plaques and retirement packages in accordance with its constitution.
These gestures, Dirioha said, reflected the association’s responsibility to its members beyond monthly meetings and dues.
The four-year football dynasty
If the land project provided the branch with a physical legacy, football provided it with a sporting one.
Just three months after assuming office, the administration’s Target Shooters FC won the UFA Cup in January 2023.
They retained it in 2024.
They won again in 2025.
Dirioha described it as an unprecedented record in the history of UDAN Lagos Branch and noted that the branch became the first Uturu branch to win the tournament four consecutive times since its inception in 1982.
The chairman credited the technical crew, management and players, particularly Skipper Richard Nwachukwu, Charles Ezenwa, Coach Onyinye Raymond Ebede and the Target Shooters players.
The sporting success, however, was not achieved without financial backing.
Dirioha acknowledged several supporters who contributed to the team’s campaigns, including Chief (Engr.) Obinna George Okezie, who provided a N1 million take-off grant after the 2022 election and later supported the team’s cup defence.
A culture of giving back
The administration’s report also highlighted support extended beyond Lagos.
In 2025, UDAN Lagos Branch donated N100,000 to the UDAN Port Harcourt Branch towards its building project.
It also honoured Chief (Pharm.) Benedict Chidi Uturu Ogbaegbe with a Meritorious Leadership Award following his leadership of UDAN Worldwide.
A souvenir was also presented to Chief (Hon.) Amobi Godwin Ogah, representing the people of Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency.
According to Dirioha, these gestures produced goodwill and strengthened relationships that ultimately benefited the association.
The numbers at handover
Perhaps the strongest indication of the administration’s financial position came at the point of handover.
Dirioha announced that UDAN Lagos Branch was leaving office without owing any member in respect of rights and privileges.
He further stated that the branch was not indebted to UDAN National, ASTUA or any other group.
And then came the figure that placed a tangible value on the administration’s financial stewardship:N1,361,776.93 in combined bank balances and cash at hand was handed over to the new administration.
Three solar lights donated by Mbewu Geoffery of G & G Solar, Nwankwo Sopuruchukwu of Dekings Solar Lightening and Njoko Peter, CEO of Pival Investment Limited, were also listed among the assets being transferred.
A handover without bitterness
For Dirioha, leaving office was not merely about presenting figures.
It was about ensuring continuity.
He recommended that future general elections be held in March, with inauguration in April, arguing that September inaugurations place incoming executives under pressure because of the heavy activities associated with that period.
He also made an appeal that may prove particularly important to the branch’s future: that the Association of Chairmen and Secretaries of the Seven Ancient Unions of Uturu in Lagos must remain active.
He thanked members who provided money, materials, ideas and personal sacrifices. He recognised the Women’s Wing, led by Mrs. Caroline Nwankwo, for donating N100,000 towards the land project.
He acknowledged members of the land project development and building committee, donors, sports officials, players, elders and supporters who contributed to the administration’s achievements.
Among those he singled out were His Excellency Dr. Uchechukwu Sampson Ogah, Chief (Engr.) Obinna George Okezie, Chief Chucks Eze, Chief Ifeanyi Ogbunubi, Mr. Nnamdi Iroha, Comrade Kenneth Nwaro, Chief (Pharm.) Chidi Ogbaegbe, Barrister Kingsley Ugoagha, Chief (Hon.) Amobi Godwin Ogah and the President-General, Chidi Slessor Mba (PhD).
