Leader
of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Alhaji Mujaheedeen Asari
Dokubo has warned Yoruba political elite to desist from alliance of any sort
with their Hausa counterparts, saying such dealings could turn out to be doom
for the former.
of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Alhaji Mujaheedeen Asari
Dokubo has warned Yoruba political elite to desist from alliance of any sort
with their Hausa counterparts, saying such dealings could turn out to be doom
for the former.
He
said: “It is political suicide for the South-West to align with the North in
the power equation; as far as I am concerned, it will be one of the greatest
mistakes to be made should the Yoruba go into any merger with the Hausa.”
said: “It is political suicide for the South-West to align with the North in
the power equation; as far as I am concerned, it will be one of the greatest
mistakes to be made should the Yoruba go into any merger with the Hausa.”
Speaking
with Saturday Newswatch recently in Warri at the Isaac Adaka Boro Day organized
by NDPVF, Asari-Dokubo recalled that though there were desperate moves by some
progressives in the South-West to form same frontiers with the North towards
wresting power from President Goodluck Jonathan’s Peoples Democratic Party, he
cautioned: “Anybody desperate to form alliance with the North should be checked
very well, his Yorubaness is in question.
“Nobody
calling himself progressive would go and align with feudalists. It does not
correlate. These are two parallels. Feudalists promoting feudal hegemony and
progressives promoting egalitarian society, the two are opposite sides,” he
said.
calling himself progressive would go and align with feudalists. It does not
correlate. These are two parallels. Feudalists promoting feudal hegemony and
progressives promoting egalitarian society, the two are opposite sides,” he
said.
According
to him: “They have rendered their people poor and sent them to the streets as
urchins; for all these years that the Gambari have been manipulating political
power and seizing the wealth of Nigeria, of what benefit has it been to their
people? Yoruba can point to legacies left by Obafemi Awolowo; what legacies can
they point to in the North.
“When names of Awolowo, Azikiwe are being mentioned, they mention Ahmadu Bello.
What did he do? Their society is being run in such a way that it promotes
primitivism of the crudest form,” he pointed out.
to him: “They have rendered their people poor and sent them to the streets as
urchins; for all these years that the Gambari have been manipulating political
power and seizing the wealth of Nigeria, of what benefit has it been to their
people? Yoruba can point to legacies left by Obafemi Awolowo; what legacies can
they point to in the North.
“When names of Awolowo, Azikiwe are being mentioned, they mention Ahmadu Bello.
What did he do? Their society is being run in such a way that it promotes
primitivism of the crudest form,” he pointed out.
On the
state of emergency declared in the three northern states, Asari-Dokubo said: “I
think it is not enough. The political structures in those states should have
been dismantled and replaced with proper emergency rule.
state of emergency declared in the three northern states, Asari-Dokubo said: “I
think it is not enough. The political structures in those states should have
been dismantled and replaced with proper emergency rule.
“The
President is always dealing with these people with kid gloves. It is like it
has passed the elbow. So that is the issue. Everybody should be prepared in the
term of ‘they killed our prophets while we sit aside and look,’ we are not
looking any longer. There will be no Abiola, there will be no Aguiyi Ironsi
again,” he declared.
President is always dealing with these people with kid gloves. It is like it
has passed the elbow. So that is the issue. Everybody should be prepared in the
term of ‘they killed our prophets while we sit aside and look,’ we are not
looking any longer. There will be no Abiola, there will be no Aguiyi Ironsi
again,” he declared.
Hinting
that northerners were desperate to reclaim power at all cost, Asari Dokubo
said: “Power means a lot to the North; they are sending the signal gradually
with some of them saying Nigeria could become Cote d’Ivoire. The implication,
if you follow the Cote d’Ivoire politics, means they might use the military
option.
that northerners were desperate to reclaim power at all cost, Asari Dokubo
said: “Power means a lot to the North; they are sending the signal gradually
with some of them saying Nigeria could become Cote d’Ivoire. The implication,
if you follow the Cote d’Ivoire politics, means they might use the military
option.
“They
are already sending the message out. Jonathan should not sleep; he should not
behave like Aguiyi-Ironsi who left his flanks open. So we must speak out and
tell the Yoruba political elite that the Lion that sacked them from Oyo-Ile is
still a Lion. We must tell them, if they don’t remember that there was once
Afonja. Obasanjo, without making too much noise, brought us to terms with the
reality of our history. It would be wrong for us as a people to sacrifice it.
are already sending the message out. Jonathan should not sleep; he should not
behave like Aguiyi-Ironsi who left his flanks open. So we must speak out and
tell the Yoruba political elite that the Lion that sacked them from Oyo-Ile is
still a Lion. We must tell them, if they don’t remember that there was once
Afonja. Obasanjo, without making too much noise, brought us to terms with the
reality of our history. It would be wrong for us as a people to sacrifice it.
“If
Jonathan, as a person, is not fighting the battle well, we should be able to
tell him. Because we are not ready to go to the days when an Ijaw man cannot be
an NSA, when a Berom man cannot be the GMD of NNPC, where it would be difficult
for a Yoruba man to become Chief of Army Staff, for Igbo it is even unheard
of. If there was no Obasanjo, there wouldn’t have been Ihejirika,” he
argued.
Jonathan, as a person, is not fighting the battle well, we should be able to
tell him. Because we are not ready to go to the days when an Ijaw man cannot be
an NSA, when a Berom man cannot be the GMD of NNPC, where it would be difficult
for a Yoruba man to become Chief of Army Staff, for Igbo it is even unheard
of. If there was no Obasanjo, there wouldn’t have been Ihejirika,” he
argued.
Source: Daily Newswatch
