By CHIEDU UCHE OKOYE

The Obosi Development Union (ODU) leadership has set the Obosi ancient kingdom on the trajectory of irreversible and sustainable development through the use of a leadership model that is non-pareil in the history of Anambra state.

ODU marked its second anniversary in office, recently, and its lofty achievements in diverse areas and the challenges, which are confronting it in its quest to transform Obosi, were recounted.

And as part of the activities to celebrate its two years in office, a Thanksgiving service was held at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Obosi on August 24, 2025.

The current ODU's success in office was, chiefly, hinged on its adoption of a workable leadership model, which is characterized by the creation of Obosi Development Union (ODU) Sub-Committees. And the ODU sub-committees cover such areas as sports, health, education, sanitation, media, security, and others.

Again, the occupation of top posts in the ODU Central Executive by people who possess leadership qualities and are actuated by their love for Obosi aided the organisation to achieve tremendous successes in diverse areas of leadership within its two years in office.

The President-General of ODU, Barr. Chimezie Obi, stated that their execution of well-conceived and pragmatic security measures contributed in no small way to the organization’s achievement of monumental successes in many different areas of human endeavours.

“Everybody knows that security of life and property is pivotal to the development of any town.

“Without it, no town can achieve meaningful and sustainable development.

“So soon after we came into office, we formulated security policies and measures, the execution of which has made Obosi land safe and very secure.

“Thankfully, today, those measures, which we implemented, are bearing good fruits as events and functions are hosted in the town by Obosi people.

“And, happily, we’ve not received any reports about the occurrence of violent acts during the hosting of those events.

“So, we encourage Ndi Obosi to enlist the services of Obosi Security Vigilantes for the provision of security for the events, which they will host,” Obi said.

Speaking further, Barr. Obi stated that the leadership of the Obosi Skills Acquisition, Empowerment and Palliatives Committee had lived up to the people’s expectations by training a great number of young Obosi people in vocations and entrepreneurship and in diverse areas of skills acquisition, such as bakery, fish farming, fashion designing, hair dressing, moulding of blocks, computer technology, among numerous others.

He further narrated his leadership achievements in the area of education, stating that the ODU Education Committee had reduced the number of out-of-school children in Obosi through its diverse campaigns.

Barr. Obi, also, said that the ODU Education Committee has been partnering with various educational foundations and public-spirited individuals to offer school scholarships to brilliant pupils and students in Obosi.

“I am happy at the massive reduction in the number of out-of-school children in Obosi.

“We practically go on random physical drives around Obosi to look for children who are not in school during school hours.

“Again, members of the ODU Education Committee embarked on sensitization campaigns to make parents become aware that their children would become disadvantaged in life if they received little or no education.

“What they are doing is in line with their core mandate.

“Our mantra is that basic education is the inalienable right of every Obosi child.

“And he/she cannot be denied that right based on the fact that Gov. Chukwuma Charles Soludo has given teeth to the free education policy in Anambra state,” Obi said.

Again, the ODU President General, Barr. Obi, said that the ODU Sports Committee is carrying out measures to ignite sports development in Obosi, in addition to deepening the Obosi people’s bond of unity by organizing the annual Obosi inter-village football competition.

Obosi town, we should not forget, has produced great footballers, who starred for both Rangers International of Enugu and the Green Eagles of Nigeria, as our male national football team was known them. Think about Arthur Ebunam, Emeka Onwuekwe, Ogidi Ibeabuchukwu, Ifeanyi Nwosa, and others.

“So the ODU Sports Committee has developed a pragmatic framework for the discovering of sports talents in Obosi so as to nurture them to stardom.

“And it is the organiser of the annual Obosi inter-village football competition, which deepens our unity.

“Now, the ODU Sports Committee is searching for sponsors for the upcoming 2025 Obosi inter-village football competition,” Barr. Obi said.

Speaking further, Barr. Obi said that the ODU, which is led by him, had recorded lofty achievements outside the areas of security, education, and sports, noting that the giant strides it recorded in the area of health should not be glossed over.

The ODU Health Committee, he said, had always conveyed information about the outbreak of diseases to Obosi people, in addition to giving them health tips on how to stay healthy and avoid contracting deadly diseases.

Barr. Obi further said that the ODU Health Committee is the health watchdog in Obosi; and as such, it scrutinizes health organisations that want to do health outreach in the town for the sole purpose of giving treatments to ailing Obosi people.

“I subscribe to these axiomatic health sayings, which state that ‘health is wealth’ and that ‘an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure’.

“That is why I am grateful to the ODU Committee on Health and Longevity for giving Obosi people health tips on how to stay healthy, treat their diseases, cheaply and effectively, and avoid contracting diseases.

“I also thank the Health Committee members for making sure that health organisations that come to Obosi for health outreach are composed of qualified health practitioners,” Obi said.

However, within its two years in office, it should be noted that the Barr. Chimezie Obi led ODU had achieved tremendous successes in diverse areas in the face of daunting financial challenges.

For the past two years, it struggled to carry out its daily functions and it was unable to execute gigantic projects for the town. All these problems were caused by paucity of funds.

“ODU is handicapped by the non-availability of financial resources; consequently, it cannot carry out its daily functions, efficiently. It cannot execute gigantic projects, either.

“The sad fact and reality is that ODU does not have official sources for generating money.

“In the past two years, it has relied on freewill donations by kind-hearted Obosi people to run the Obosi Security outfit, skills acquisition programme, sports development initiatives, and others,” Obi said.

Despite the daunting financial challenges and other problems, which have been dogging the heels of ODU, Barr. Chimezie Obi, expressed optimism and hope about leaving a legacy that would be the springboard for Obosi town’s irreversible and sustainable development.

“I will build bridges of reconciliation and peace and unity, as unity is the cornerstone of development.

“The legacy of peace and unity, which I will leave behind, if sustained, will place Obosi on the course and trajectory of glory and development,” Obi quipped.

•Okoye is a staff member of the Anambra State Ministry of Information.