Théophane Patinvoh
29 July 2005
interview
The Biafra War seems to be part of Nigeria's distant past, but the fear of violence and the idea of partition are still present among citizens of Africa's most populous nation. Nigeria's nascent democracy and crusade against corruption have not calmed agitations for independence nationwide. Calls for self determination have played a subtle role in the debates over resource control at the national conference, as southern delegates push for more proceeds from oil to be spent in oil-bearing areas.
But outside conference halls and diplomatic circles, the push for "self-service" has already taken over the minds of youth in the Niger Delta, Africa's largest oil reservoir. Military forces are highly visible in protecting the state land administration while huge business is in progress offshore. Youth organizations are also highly armed, with all the necessary tools for oil bunkering. Foreign oil dealers and petroleum giants like Shell and ChevronTexaco share the same turf, and used their economic influence last year when one Niger Delta leader -- Alaji Mujaheedeen Asari Dokubo -- threatened to bomb all petroleum installations. They successfully pressured Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo to send his presidential aircraft to bring Dokubo to Abuja for negotiations that ended with a peace deal. Both state and federal governments recognize Dokubo's legitimity as a charismatic leader of the Ijaw, the largest ethnic group in the Niger Delta region.
Dokubo says he still hopes for independence from Nigeria as soon as possible. AllAfrica's Theophane Patinvoh met him at Kalabare forest reserve last spring where he has established dozens of military camps, and Dokubo spoke about his view of Nigeria's political arena and his vision for the Ijaw nation. Since the interview, the national dialogue fell apart, largely over claims by southern delegates for control of 25 percent of oil receipts. Dokubo's comments illustrate the position of one southern leader on the issue of resource control. Excerpts:
Alhaji, there are a lot of stories about you this time around. You claim not to be part of Nigeria, but I've just seen you with a top police officer and all your properties are registered in Nigeria with Nigerian symbols. What happened?
Nigeria has conquered my people. My people are under occupation of the Nigerian military and government. So since we are under Nigerian occupation, we continue to use Nigerian signals and Nigerian symbols. Until we get our sovereignty restored to us, we will make do with whatever is provided by Nigeria.
You seem resigned. What next can we expect from you as an Ijaw?
I can not tell you for now. But I did not create Ijaw. Ijaw is a nation: a natural nation with a defined territory and a people who have a very long history of struggle behind them.
When you mention Ijaw as a part of Niger Delta, where do you think the Niger Delta will be in five years time?
The Niger Delta is just a region formed by the tributaries of the Niger River. And Ijaw is one of the nationalities. We have Ogoni, we have Urhobo's, we have Itsekiri, and we have the Isoko's and so on. So these are various nations that are found in the geographical area known as the Niger Delta. My aspiration in life is to try to bring an agreement amongst all the nationalities in the Niger Delta so that we can join together and have a common struggle.
What can be done to improve the situation in the Niger Delta?
The sovereignty of the Ijaw people is not negotiable. It does not depend on any improvement or anything. Our sovereignty is our life and our very existence. It is not negotiable. Ijaw sovereignty must be restored to them in whatever way necessary.
There was publicity over yourself and your activity as you have met with President Olusegun Obasanjo. Was it true?
Yes. We met with General Olusegun Obasanjo in Abuja and we had serious discussion on how to solve the problems. But General Olusegun Obasanjo was not sincere in his approach towards addressing the fundamental issues that we had put forward before the world. These issues are issues of self-determination, resource control and convocation of a sovereign national conference.
But what particularly did you agree with President Olusegun Obasanjo that he did not attend to?
The only agreement we had with President Olusegun Obasanjo -- General Olusegun Obasanjo, I'm sorry -- because I do not believe he is a president, because he never won any election. He stole the votes of the people. The only agreement I had with him is [to] provide a constitutional space for us to carry out our agitation and campaign for these fundamental issues of self-determination, resource control and convocation of a sovereign national conference. And I don't think that General Olusegun Obasanjo has defaulted in this thing. He has not. But in his approach, he abhors the sovereign national conference which should lead to the twin demands of self-determination and resource control.
What fell apart in your agreement with him?
General Olusegun Obasanjo had attempted to gather a group of people for a national dialogue which goes contrary to our demand for a sovereign national conference. This charade that he wants to use as a conference in place of a sovereign national conference doesn't have legal backing. It's ad-legal.
Don't you think that the Federal Government's national dialogue in Nigeria will be very successful in terms that every nationality will define together what Nigeria should be tomorrow?
The conference Olusegun Obasanjo and his cohorts in Abuja are trying to put together is very clear. It has created no-go areas. These no-go areas are as follows: --The sovereignty of Nigeria is non-negotiable. --The federation of Nigeria is non-negotiable. --Everything is non-negotiable. --The resource of Nigeria is non-negotiable. Etc.
So people like us have been precluded from coming to the conference.
So you don't think the national dialogue is an opportunity for ethnic groups to express openly their vision for Nigeria's future?
I don't think there's any room for that because the issues we have raised over the years have all been precluded from the dialogue. So what are we going to discuss? The issue of self-determination, the issue of resource controls and convocation of a sovereign national conference to discuss the restructuring or the total dismemberment or disintegration of the Nigerian state has been precluded from the conference.
To what extent does oil bunkering exist in the Niger Delta?
I don't know who they said is bunkering the oil. The people who own the oil have a right to take the oil which has been stolen from them by a small clique in Abuja for the advancement and betterment of that clique that siphons this money to foreign bank accounts in Europe and the United States of America and the Caribbean. So as far as I'm concerned, oil bunkering has nothing to do with our people. The oil belongs to them and they have the right to take the oil.
Let me ask again. Who are the people who are really involved in the process?
I don't need to know who is involved. I'm saying that everybody from any oil-bearing community has the right to take the oil the way he likes and I advocate it and I encourage them and I tell them to take it because the people have illegally run pipes through our land. They are flaring gas, degrading our environment. So it is our duty to make sure that we sabotage all their efforts in taking our resources. And if bunkering is one of the ways of sabotaging their efforts then it is acceptable to every self-respecting Ijaw man, every self-respecting Itsekiri man, every self-respecting Urhobo man, every self-respecting Niger-Delta to be involved in the process of taking that which belongs to us. It is an affirmative action to say- this doesn't belong to you. It belongs to us. We have the right to take it.
What role does the oil bunkering play in your community and in the activities of your group?
Oil bunkering plays next to nothing in the activities of my group. My group is an organization with the sole aspiration and aim of bringing independence to the people of Ijaw nation and all those other nationalities that identify in our cause. So, oil bunkering as far as we are concerned is secondary to our demand. Our demand is the installation of our sovereignty and identity as a people.
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