HOW TO STOP ASARI DOKUBO’S EXUBERANCE

Earlier in the week, during the Major Isaac Adaka Boro memorial event in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Mr. Asari Dokubo declared inter alia: “Yes a new government begins in Nigeria and a next phase of our struggle shall begin also. Jonathan Goodluck presidency was like a restraining order now that restraint is lifted. However, we will watch and wait, let them draw the first blood and we shall determine our best way forward. Truly, Nigeria will never be the same again, the future is pregnant” he concluded. While Dokubo has the right to aspire within the ambits of the law to whatever meets his fancy, we believe it is time to put a leash on all potential divisive tendencies.

The statement above and others that are even worse have emanated from this same man weeks and months ago. At some point during campaigns for the general elections, Dokubo specifically stated that the Niger Delta will go to war should his kinsman, President Goodluck Jonathan lose the presidential elections. Although he was pilloried for that national assault, it was not until it started to become clear that such rhetoric could indeed make the Peoples Democratic Party lose the elections did it occur to the ruling PDP to issue statements of disavowals. Fact is a lot of persons have taken the right to free speech to preach hate speeches. There must be a method to madness.

Because of the conciliatory tone of a few former militants immediately after Jonathan’s loss, it was expected that folks like Asari will sheath their swords but it appears he is bent on exhibiting his wrong-headed public conduct. People like Boyloaf and several other militant leaders have moved on. But Asari is stuck in the past and it is time to put him in his rightful place. Truth is for whatever it is worth, Asari and people like him were never rights activists turned militants. The fight for better participation by the Niger Delta peoples on how resources gotten from their area is put to use has not benefited those communities. Instead, what has happened is that militants, their friends and families have been the beneficiaries as the present government and its predecessor perfected a settlement system that keep loud mouths such as Asari quiet but failed to develop the larger peoples.

Therefore, you find the Asaris of this world, the Tompolos, etc being unfairly rewarded for doing nothing. An example is what has happened to our pipelines. While yearly contracts running into billions of naira have been awarded to these former militants to protect the pipelines from sabotage, yet the country still loses between 200,000 to 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Now that is the entire production quota for some oil producing countries like Ghana, Gabon, etc. Meanwhile, there is another amnesty programme that takes care of thousands of so called foot soldiers of the “struggle”. This programme pays N70, 000 to each of these foot soldiers per month for doing absolutely nothing. They also enjoy scholarships to train in any kind of discipline throughout the world. Yet, we still witness mindless but colossal pipeline vandalism that denies us meeting our OPEC quota per day and of course, gas to power electricity to homes, offices and factories. While we lose money to the amnesty programme, we also lose money to security contracts to the leaders of the foot soldiers, and then lose money to pipeline vandals!

Meanwhile, the country has set up the Niger Delta Ministry to address issues emanating from the same delta region. The Niger Delta Commission is also on another plate yet everyone complains of lack of development in the same place. It is from the same place that people like Asari Dokubo threatens the rest of the country? No, we cannot continue like this. For us, the in-coming administration must develop new strategies that will work directly with the people of oil bearing communities to bring them to participate on how resources taken from their land is allocated. We recommend that government must fashion a way to develop the people directly. Few quick wins will suffice: complete the East/West road and commence the coastal road under design; built skills acquisition centres that will within six months provide skilled but low workforce for the oil and gas industry. This will create a lot of jobs for everyday folks and deny militants new recruits; build bridges over rivers and creeks in Riivers, Bayelsa and Delta states; etc. This is without prejudice to whatever the NDDC and the ministry might be doing.

It will be evident within a few years and serious information management combined with re-orientation strategies that people like Asari will lose their voices. He can then relocate to Benin Republic where he has moved his spoils to invest. We should learn to stop these people in their strides. This is a country and not a banana republic where anything goes!

#editorial