Mujahid Asari-Dokubo, a former Niger Delta freedom fighter, has issued a stern warning to those planning a nationwide protest against economic hardship, cautioning them not to extend their demonstrations to the Niger Delta region.
Speaking on Tuesday at the Niger Delta Sensitisation Conference for Ethnic Nationalities, Youths, and Women, held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Asari-Dokubo emphasized that the interests of the protest organizers do not align with the needs of the people in the Niger Delta.
The conference, themed ‘Come Let Us Build Together,’ provided a platform for Asari-Dokubo to voice his opposition to the planned protest. He characterized the protesters as anarchists, asserting that their agenda is disconnected from the specific challenges facing the Niger Delta communities.
“I and all those who believe in me and those of you who are committed to the interest of the Niger Delta, we are not going to be part of any protest. It is as clear as that,” Asari-Dokubo declared. He warned that any attempt to bring the protest to the region would be met with resistance, citing the right to resist as fundamental. “If anybody has the right to protest, I also have the right to resist protest. Where your right stops, that is where my right begins.”
Asari-Dokubo criticized the motives behind the protests, suggesting that they were driven by a desire to exploit the resources of the Niger Delta without addressing the region’s unique issues. “Are our needs included in their 10 points demand? No. So, we are not important to them. But it is our resources that they want to share,” he stated. He reiterated his readiness to confront any protest that comes near him, hinting at a previous confrontation in Oyigbo, Rivers State, where he claimed to have successfully resisted protesters.
He also reflected on the long-standing issues in the Niger Delta, such as the lack of hospitals in areas like Buguma and Abonema, noting that these problems have persisted for decades. Asari-Dokubo defended President Bola Tinubu, suggesting that it would be unreasonable to blame the current administration for problems that have existed since the 1990s.
“Those who brought anti-protest and went to Oyigbo (Rivers State), they collected (they got what they deserve). Everybody knows, the government, the security agencies knows it. I gave it to them,” he said.
“Look, don’t be deceived by people’s flowery words and statements. What have they done to impact their society and the environment?”
“The lack of hospitals in Buguma, Abonema, and the entire Kalabari land didn’t start today. It has always been like that. And I will not expect my friend to come (referring to President Bola Tinubu) one year later because there has been no hospital in Buguma since the 90s. I should then kick my friend out of power.”
