“When the righteous come to throne, the people rejoice” is a popular saying from the Holy book-the Bible. Initially, it came as a speculation that the new Oba of Benin was deeply concerned over the activities of land speculators and Community Development Associations and was prepared to end the travails of land developers and investors in the state. The associations which composed mainly of youths are well known to use all unconventional means and brute force to ply their trade as they intimidate, harass and extort developers in Edo State. True to the speculations, Oba Ewuare 11 of Benin started his reign on a very positive note with the outlawing of activities of land speculation carried out by the various Community Development Associations (CDA) in Benin Kingdom.

With his pronouncement, all activities of CDA Chairmen and Youth Chairmen ceased to exist, including collection of development fees, sales and marketing of community land. The directive was handed down during a homily delivered by the Priest of Holy Aruosa Cathedral, Benin, Ohenosa Harrison Okao, at the thanksgiving service by Oba Ewuare II as part of activities marking his coronation as the 40th Oba of Benin Kingdom. This was welcomed by all and sundry in Edo State and beyond, Thousands of residents poured into the streets rejoicing and praising the Oba. Oba Gha to kpere! Ise.

It would be recalled that activities of youths as land speculators had been a source of worry to inhabitants of Benin City in the past. They were involved in community land grabbing and ceased powers from the Enigies who held the land in trust for the Oba as traditionally, all land in the kingdom belongs to the Oba. Obanya oto

According to the directive of Oba Ewuare 11 as announced by Ohenosa,” henceforth, sale and management of community affairs and land shall be better managed by the Edionwere-in-Council and the Enigie (Community Head). As it stands in Edo land today, powers have been returned to the Enigies and elders of the various communities whom the youths had virtually blighted in their domains.

The directive was very clear and without ambiguity as it urged all patrolmen, pointers as well as other Community Security apparatus including lawyers to strictly ensure compliance by abstaining from writing Deeds of Transfer with the concerned persons or Transferors. But what did the people see thereafter, some of them attempted undermining the authority of the Oba and they are currently regretting their actions. Some of them resorted to changing their executives as a sharp way of escaping. Some changed their nomenclatures but remained old wine in new bottles.

Weeks into the directive, the Oba, it was learnt got several distress calls and reports from victims of these unscrupulous land speculators and CDAs necessitating his reaffirmation of his directive and no true born Benin man or woman can disobey the Oba. For some days now, the Oba has been visiting communities in his kingdom to thank them for their various roles during the activities leading to his coronation and his coronation proper. The Oba is also reaffirming his ban on forceful entry into peoples landed property by these characters everywhere he went. It shows his seriousness over the matter. But the community youths and CDAs are still operating and harassing developers with impunity.

Recognising the advantages the Oba’s decision has to bear on the generality of the citizens of the state and as it relates to making the state investors-friendly, the State Government has since keyed into the Oba’s lofty plan. It was to give legal teeth to the Oba’s directive that the State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki recently sent a Bill for a law to prohibit forceful entry and illegal occupation of landed properties by Community Development Associations to the House of Assembly.
Speaker of the assembly, Mr. Justin Okonobor, announced the receipt of the Bill at a plenary session of the House. He said that the Bill was accompanied by a letter signed by the governor, The speaker referred the bill to the Committee on Rules and Business for processing for debate on a later date.

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Governor Obaseki since assumption of office, has been preparing the ground for effective implementation of his electoral promises to citizens of the state, part of which is to transform the state from its Civil service status to an industrial giant.

Not too long ago, Governor Obaseki embarked on a special trip to China with a sole aim of wooing investors to the state. While in China, he reportedly held several meetings with potential investors and told them to come and co-invest in the state in the area of building industrial and agricultural parks in line with the vision of his administration in creating jobs for the teeming unemployed youths of the state.

Aside getting Investors to invest in building Industrial and agricultural parks in the state, Governor Obaseki also wooed some other investors to see how they can come to co-invest with the state in the area of power plant in Gelegele where he is planning to establish a sea port that would open the state up for import and export businesses. Getting the Chinese to co-invest in the establishment of another power plant in Gelegele would certainly help to boost the development of the sea port to tap the full potentials and opportunities that such an effort would bring to the state.

However, the governor and the Benin monarch in their various capacities cannot be busy wooing investors to come and invest in the state to boost the state’s economy, create wealth and jobs for our teeming youth while some unscrupulous youths under any guise would be scattering by way of scaring off investors and land developers in the state.

This is why the Edo State House of Assembly should expeditiously consider and pass the bill that seeks to prohibit forceful entry and illegal occupation of people’s land or investors property in the state. The law should criminalize activities of such persons and very serious sanctions should be imposed on anyone that would violate the law to serve as a deterrence to generations upcoming. Once the bill is passed, the State Governor should not waste time in enforcing the law. Government must go after all the youths still disturbing land owners and extorting them. They should be arrested all over the state and prosecuted. Government should ensure that they completely short down the illicit trade in the state.

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• Mr. Dan Owegie is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Edo State.