Ughelli South Hotel Owners Association Calls on Oborevwori To Tackle Task Force Official Exploitation
By Ezekiel Kagbala
Hotel owners in Ughelli South have called on the Delta State Governor, RT. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori to intervene in the alleged exploitation by numerous task force officials.
The Hotel Owners Association (USHOA) made the claims, July 9th, 2025 during their monthly meeting held at Wonder Land Hotel, owned by Prince Temienor Oghenekewe, in Eyara Community Ughelli South Local Government Area, Delta State.
Lamenting that excessive levies and harassment are crippling their businesses, urging the governor to implement reforms and ensure fair treatment across the hospitality sector.
Addressing newsmen shortly after their monthly meeting, the Chairman, Ughelli South Hotel Owners Association Engr. John Kelega disclosed that the association wants the government to aid them in checking repeated extortion and illegal fines.
"We have been giving maximum support to his excellency in fact we are all Sheriffied in this association but repeated extortion, illegal fines by task force officials is creating an increasingly hostile business environment.
"The association that represents over 50 registered hotels across Ughelli South wants to meet with the governor one-on-one. We want to know when and who to pay money to as these tasks force officials to visit hotels monthly and several members report that refusal by hotel managers to comply resulted in fines, seizure of hotel properties and forced closure of businesses.
In fact, they will always tell you that they are from the governor's office, brandishing ID cards and jackets, so you cannot question their authority when they come in large numbers.
Sometimes they even come with police men to make sure we succumb to their demands. At the end of the day, sometimes we will discover that it was just for the boys to eat and not go to Asaba as they made us feel.
"Some task force conducts nocturnal raids sometimes after midnight, disrupting shows, events, damaging property, and traumatizing guests and hotel staff. The cumulative effect of such actions is devastating for already fragile businesses.
"When one group leaves, they will go and tell other groups that we have succeeded, go and try your hand. This is the way that they have been coordinating their activities, and this is eating deep into our cash flow. We are just surviving.
"They don't consider that we have employees that we pay salaries every month, we have challenges in terms of bad roads, epileptic power supply, we run generators/plants with diesel/ fuel day and night and most recently the kidnapping of hotel guests by unknown armed gunmen is forcing some hotels/
small business owners who cannot hire police men as security to temporarily suspend operations and lay off staff."
Engr. John Kelega appealed to his excellency Sheriff Oborevwori to look into the association's complaint as it will go a long way to support the hospitality business in Ughelli South.
"If we decide to go out of business because of these task force officials, a lot of youths will be out of jobs and back on the streets to harass law-abiding people. Our aim amid heightened economic pressures is to grow the hospitality industry in Ughelli South, Delta State, and Nigeria."
Association members present include Emmanuel Ariakpore - Vice Chairman,
Chief Michael Djowaa - Secretary,
Chief Peter Esharevwigho - Financial Secretary, Mr. Ovigue Fairwind - Assistant Secretary, Mr. Friday Omoshue - Treasurer, Chief Edward Gbaje - Adviser, and Prince Temienor Oghenekewe.
