“We Don’t Steal, Nor Vandalized, We Only Value Waste”: Scavengers Phenomenon in Nigeria

Abstract

The paper sought to juxtapose ‘We don’t steal nor vandalise; we only value waste’: the Scavengers phenomenon in Nigeria. Instances abound where scavengers have been caught red-handed engaging in property theft and vandalism. The work adopted ‘Crime Pattern Theory’ and the Broken Window Theory. The research design is explorative in nature. It employs both a quantitative and qualitative approach. The target populations for the study were residents in the Uviwe, Ughelli North, and Okpe local government areas, Delta State, towns where scavenging activities and large dump sites exist, and the sample size is 51. A questionnaire was used for the data collection developed by the researchers. An in-depth interview was used to elicit information. The interview questions were structured with an open and close approach. Simple percentage and item mean analyses were used to analyse the research questionnaires. Any item above the mean benchmark of 2.5 was considered accepted, but anything below was rejected. Content analysis was employed for the in-depth interview. Findings from the study revealed that some scavengers have been caught red-handed and engaged in theft. It was recommended that stakeholders and their foot soldiers be issued licences to operate. And when found culpable, the licence should be withdrawn, which will serve as a deterrent to themselves and others within the profession and also be prosecuted in accordance with the stipulated laws.