A former militant leader, Asari Dokubo, criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration on Tuesday, claiming it has betrayed the Niger Delta region.
His comments came in response to the Federal Government’s recent decision to replace the Ministry of the Niger Delta with a newly established Ministry of Regional Development.
Featuring on Arise TV’s Morning Show, Dokubo expressed disappointment with the government’s approach to the region, stating that the Niger Delta is being marginalized.
He recalled his historical alliance with Tinubu during the struggle for democracy following the June 12, 1993 election of MKO Abiola, highlighting their shared commitment to addressing Nigeria’s federal structure and regional rights.
Dokubo asserted that the government’s current actions represent a betrayal of the Niger Delta’s interests, noting a historical context where the Ijaw and Ogoni peoples stipulated that their participation in Nigeria would require negotiations on their terms.
He referred to past agreements made with British authorities that aimed to address the concerns of minority groups in the region.
He further criticized the transformation of governance in the Niger Delta post-independence, lamenting that subsequent military regimes dissolved constitutionally established authorities specific to the region. According to Dokubo, the government’s actions diluted the original definition of the Niger Delta, which he argued was fundamentally tied to the River Niger and its tributaries, contrasting it with how the area was redefined by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999.
Dokubo said: “It’s sad that this decision is taken in a government led by Tinubu, who was in the trenches with most of us during the struggle for the restoration of democracy after the overthrow of the government following the June 12 election of MKO Abiola.
“Together we fought tirelessly, and since then, Tinubu, who was at the forefront of this struggle, has been speaking on restructuring and returning Nigeria to its federal status and giving rights to the components of the country.
“Now, to this decision: this decision is a betrayal of the people of the Niger Delta. This culture of trying to subchange the people of the Niger Delta is robbing us of our gains.
“This decision is a betrayal of the people of the Niger Delta. Before independence, the Ijaws and Ogonis made it very clear that for us to be part of Nigeria, negotiations must be on our own terms. We made it very clear to the British, and they set up a commission to look into the fears of the so-called minorities and allay their fears.
“The government agreed that for us to be part of an independent Nigeria, Sir Wilkins’ commission established special areas for the Ijaw and Ogoni people, and these special areas were established. The government was to provide five percent; the Eastern Region was to provide five percent; and the Northern Region was to provide five percent because this was a special area.
“After the coup and declaration of Nigeria as a unitary state, Nigeria looked at our face and abolished a constitutionally established authority. In its place, every drainage outside the Niger Delta was made a River Basin authority, and they equated these same authorities with the Niger Delta area authority, a special mandate area for Nigeria to become independent.
“The independence of Nigeria was predicated on that report that we, the Ogonis and Ijaws, should be part of Nigeria. Having done that, Obasanjo came in 1999 and redefined what the Niger Delta is; it became OMPADEC, an oil-producing area. So Abia, Imo, Edo, Ondo, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River became part of the Niger Delta. He diluted the meaning of the Niger Delta. The Niger Delta is created by the River Niger and its tributaries, which is simple.”
