Professional bodies decry increased cases of harassment, collection of illegal levies by youths

By Our Correspondent

The Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (APBN), Delta chapter
has decried the increasing cases of harassment and forceful collection of illegal levies also known as “deve” by youth on their operations.

The APBN Chairman in Delta, Mr Paul Akporowho stated this on Tuesday during the association’s courtesy visit to the Orosuen of Okere-Urhobo Kingdom, Emmanuel Okumagba in Warri South Local Government Area of the state.

Akporowho who led some members of the executive on the visit appealed to the monarch to prevail on the youth in his domain to stop harassing and collecting illegal levies from the developers.

The chairman said that such attitude hinders development in any given society.

Akporowho recalled that
Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa had assented to the bill titled “Delta Public and Private Properties Protection Bill 2018”.

According to him, the new law was expected to put an end to the incessant harassment of developers particularly by youths who often times chased away investors in the state with illegal levies.

“We are here to congratulate the newly installed Orosuen of Okere-Urhobo Kingdom in Warri South and also to intimate him of some of our challenges in the field.

“The issue of “deve”, harassing of developers on site by youth is one of the problem we are facing and it demarkets any society and scared investors away.

“Since 2018 when the deve bill was enacted by the state government, nothing seems to have changed. The impact of the anti-deve law has not been felt.

“I doubt if any deve collector and their cohorts have been successfully prosecuted.

“This is an important law that was enacted to promote ease of doing business and encourage growth and development.

“So it should be of interest to us and for discussion by us: the Lawyer, Estate surveyor & valuer, Engineer & Town planner among others,” he said.

Responding, the king assured that he would do everything possible to ensure that youth did not harass developers and investors in his domain.

The monarch who was installed on Jan. 5, 2021 by the Delta government noted that any community that does not accept strangers would lack development.

“We are not going to live any stone unturned on the activities of the youth against the developers.

“Since deve is prohibited, nobody has the right to harass builders.

“While we are doing our part, the developers should also help us by apprehending such individuals and hand them over to the police,” the king said.

He, however, promised to work in synergy with the body to curb the activities of the restive youth involved in the harassment of the developers

On the association’s train were: Rev. Lewis Afolabi (Secretary), Mr Jude Ojukoko (Financial Secretary), Dr. Pharm. Johnson Alabi (Publicity Secretary) among others.


(NAN)