This interview had been conducted by Premium
Times before President of the Niger Delta Peoples
Volunteer Force, Muhajid Asari-Dokubo was
arrested in Benin Republic in late November,
2013. Here, he touches upon such subjects as
Jonathan's chances at winning in 2015, oil
stealing, Governor Amaechi's betrayal, among
other things.
On "bloodshed" in Nigeria: If you look at the
attacks that have been directed at Goodluck since
it became apparent that he was going to become
President since 2010, certain individuals, especially
the Ciromas, Lawal Kaita, General Muhammadu
Buhari, General Ibrahim Babangida, have also
made several statements.
I quote: Lawal Kaita said, "It is the turn of the
North to produce the president, that if Jonathan by
default wins the nomination of the PDP, we will
stop him at the general elections. If we fail to stop
him at the general election, even if he wins he will
not be able to rulel we will make the country
ungovernable for him."
Nobody has a monopoly of violence. For every
action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. We
cannot sit, fold our hands and watch. If we had
done that, Goodluck Jonathan would have been
killed long time ago.
He comes from a place that feeds the nation.
Nigeria is only existing because of Ijaw, Ogoni,
Itsekiri, Isoko, Ibo and Urhobo oil. Nigeria is only
existing because of its access to the coast
provided by the Ijaws, Itskeri and the Yorubas.
Nigeria would have become a landlocked country.
So we contribute to the survival of Nigeria. All
these men have gained from the misnomer called
Nigeria because Nigeria claims to be a Federal
Republic but it's not, it's a very crude primitive
state where we have an all-powerful centre.
[In] the last interview I granted, I said it on
Channels television, there was no such thing. I
said, and I repeat, and I have no apology to
anybody, that those who said that the blood of the
monkeys, baboons, dogs and if they want to soak
them on the water we will help them to soak the
blood of the baboons and the dogs on the street; if
they want to soak them in water we will help them.
That was my statement.
On presidential pardon and amnesty: I was
president of Ijaw Youth Council, which is the
biggest youth group up till date, and I'm also the
leader of the Niger Delta Peoples' Volunteer Force
and Niger Delta Peoples' Salvation Funds.
Did I tell you that I collected amnesty? I am not a
criminal. I don't know what you are talking about.
Asari isn't a criminal. I am not a militant and I
have a pedigree and I cannot soil my name. If the
Nigerian state has any evidence to criminalize me,
they should go to court. They've done that several
times and they failed without evidence. Yes, people
who took amnesty have been criminalized, that's
what it means. You pardon someone who has
committed an offence, not all of them were
criminals. But if you accept pardon as a criminal,
why will I speak for you? You have accepted
willingly. I did not collect amnesty and the majority
of my people did not. Only those who broke away
from us did.
I was granted bail by a competent court of
jurisdiction and I am still on bail. I employed my
lawyers. We went to the Supreme Court for bail
application and for the first time in my life, the
court suspended the constitution of this country
because of me. The court says people can be
arrested and be detained as long as the
government wants. It's a shame on the judiciary of
this country that the Supreme Court gave a
judgment suspending the constitution. That's why
some of us feel Goodluck is playing with these
political miscreants who call themselves
governors. If I was hit with the hammer by
Obasanjo, what is holding Goodluck Jonathan? He
should hit these political miscreants with a
hammer. Obasanjo should be arrested and
detained, and Atiku, too. They are ordinary citizens
of this country. They are nobody. I don't know
about Babangida [because] he has not come out to
talk about where he belongs.
The government first refused to bring me to court.
Yar'Adua was compelled to release me from prison
because of the bribe, because of the oil, that they
want production which had fallen into 600,000
barrels. Nigeria was losing money, so they wanted
to release Asari but I refused to sign. So many
things were offered me but I said no and I refused
to sign. Henry Okah and others signed.
My mother died at the age of 29. I'm 50. My father
died at the age 59. I'm 50. So, why should I be
afraid of death? It will come when it will come.
When God says you are going to die, you will die.
So I cannot mortgage my integrity, my honour, my
pedigree and that of my children.
On the amnesty programme of Jonathan's
administration, and the fact that his friends are
beneficiareis: I am one of the people who have
been against amnesty. Amnesty is a crime against
humanity. That someone raped, killed, committed
all sorts of crime and after doing that, because you
want money, mostly to steal, then you pardon the
person. A man kidnapped another man, put him
through trauma and you pardon him. A man raped
and you pardon him. A man killed and you pardon
him because you want money.
My friends and I are not the same. My child and I
are not the same, even my wife. None of my
siblings took amnesty and NDPVF didn't take
amnesty. God has a way of preparing things since
the time of creation.
On meeting with Major Hamza Al-Mustapha: You
cannot divorce politics from whatever man is
doing. Even between man and woman, politics is
involved.
The meeting with Al-Mustapha is to bring peace.
Faseun, Uwazuruike, Yerima Shettima, Abacha,
Tony Major and over 50 different organisations
were there. Government wants to be oblivious of
what is going on. It is a tsunami. It is the first time
that people from the Caliphate, Borno and people
from other part of this country are meeting. People
have come to say "look, whatever has happened
before we should put it aside, have a focus and put
an eye on the future." All of us have suffered from
one form of deprivation or the other. All of us have
been in prison - myself, Pa Faseun, Uwazuruike,
Al-Mustapha, Mohammed. We have been
imprisoned at one time or the other. We have all
suffered one form of deprivation or the other. Our
collective suffering should be a sacrifice to bring
hope to our people.
We met and we saw the sincerity in them. Some
people say I hate the North, but I laugh. They say I
hate the Fulanis, Kanuris and I find that funny. I
have two boys, and their mother is a Fulani, living
among Kanuri people from Borno state. One of
them is named after me - Mujahid Dokubo, and the
other one is Nurul-Islam. They have been living
with their mother. My son even speaks Hausa and
Fulfude. He doesn't even know how to speak my
language. I am married to a Shuwa Arab also from
Borno Empire. My in-laws come to my house, eat,
sleep, live in my house and we do things together.
When it comes to protecting the interest of my
people, it is beyond me because of my personal
life. So if people want to kill my people, I should
fold my hands because I'm married to a Fulani
woman? When everyone dies, it will remain only
my two sons and myself. God created me an Ijaw
man for a purpose.
On whether he supports the President because he
is also an Ijaw: They say charity begins at home.
Goodluck is an Ijaw man, who will I support?
Prophet Mohammed said whether your brother is
right or wrong, support him. And the people asked
why you should support your brother when he is
wrong. The Prophet said support him by correcting
him.
I am one of the most fiery, balanced critics of
Goodluck, inside and outside the house. When the
President does anything wrong and I don't have
access to him, I come out and shout at the roof
top that he should fix things and they will start
fixing it. The most important thing is that he is an
Ijaw man. There is no compromise on that. As
president of Ijaw Youth Council, I'm to protect their
interest. I'm an Ijaw man and I will protect their
interest. In terms of performance, if you put
Nigerian past leaders together, he has
outperformed them.
The Benin-Lagos Expressway is now passable.
Obasanjo was there for eight years, he didn't fix it.
Abdulsalami was there, and also Abacha. During
IBB's time, the road was okay. Look at the Abuja-
Lokoja Expressway. They budgeted for it every
year. In all the eight years of Obasanjo, they didn't
go more than 5km on that road and money was
budgeted, appropriated, misapplied and
misappropriated. The road was comatose.
Under Yar'Adua, they said N500 billion was
released for special agricultural funds on a piece of
paper, but nobody saw the money till today.
Nigeria agricultural sector has come alive and
everybody knows that. The investment profile of
Nigeria has increased. The Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI) profile has increased.
On insecurity: Nigeria is in a civil orchestrated by
the Ciromas and the Kaitas trying to breath evil
right on the back of a tiger. Abeg he go enter tiger
belle. In Niger Delta, we have organization on the
ground to put heads and balancing that when they
put order everybody fall in line. We have order.
But in the North, they don't have the capacity
because of years of deprivation of their people.
The billion they made over this years doesn't
translate to the life of the ordinary northerners. The
northerners are the poorest, the northerners are the
most diseased, there is a lot of underdevelopment
in the North. After years of looting so they have no
control over their people so when they were
thinking Boko Haram will be their own militia, their
own militants they didn't know how far Boko
Haram will go. I schooled at Gamboru Gala. I
learnt Quran there. Today Gamboru Gala is a no-
go area.
On President's possible actions: Goodluck
Jonathan should declare a war in Nigeria. The
country is in a state of war. Foreigners are coming
into Nigeria, encouraged by the Ciromas and the
Kaitas. These men should be arrested. They are
the people who have come out to say they are
displeased and they have done it and its
happening. They should be arrested. They say if
Goodluck wins they will make the country
ungovernable for him and it has happened. If a
witch says he will kill you today and tomorrow you
have headache, it is the witch that caused it. The
president should declare a war against these men.
They have all apparatuses of a state. They are not
ashamed. They said as far as they are concerned
they are at war.
Obasanjo brought helicopters to bomb my camp
for 11 months we fought. In which state where he
declared a state of emergency did he allow the
political structure to remain? How will the president
be playing with a life when we know and politicians
from Borno state have accused SAS (Senator Ali
Modu Sherif) that he's responsible for setting up
Boko Haram and he is a stalwart of APC. So why
will the president be playing with them with kids
gloves?
If I was put in prison, why should Ciroma not be
out in prison. Why will Kaita and SAS not be put in
prison? As for IBB, one statement or the other that
he made is not enough for him to be put in jail.
After that, he has made many mitigating
statements.
Goodluck Jonathan should use hammer against
those political miscreants. They are all miscreants
and hammer must be used against them. There is
only one registered PDP known to INEC and its
only PDP. Jonathan is indulging. If you break the
law you should be treated as a lawbreaker.
On relationship with Chibuike Amaechi: Let me tell
you - Amaechi is a traitor, a traitor to all people of
the South-South and South East. I've said it over
and over when this thing started that as a traitor
you will be treated as a traitor. Goodluck is
shielding him. The president is not even fighting
him. If Goodluck were fighting Amaechi, by now he
would not go to Port Harcourt again.
Many people have made sacrifices. Ken Saro Wiwa
fought for our people. This man who calls himself
Amaechi, who never won election, is a miscreant.
We know his origin. He was Peter Odili's
"houseboy" that Odili imposed on the people of
Ikwerre Constituency without winning election.
They collectively deceived the people of South-
South.
We were all student union leaders. I'm older than
him. Can Amaechi win election in his unit? Has
Amaechi ever supported Goodluck? This is how you
indulge this criminal, common criminal who is
supposed to be in prison. How did he get over one
million votes? It's rigging.
I voted for Goodluck. Immediately after the election
the position of PDP was that the South West
should take the speakership seat. Amaechi and his
people he brought to the National Assembly by
manipulation supported Aminu Tambuwal and that
is why they are heading important committees in
the National Assembly. These are the characters
working with this miscreant that we are indulging.
On Jonathan-Amaechi opposition: I have already
told you that all the PDP legislators that came
from Rivers State stood against the president and
supported Tambuwal. The problem started since
then.
The only president that can be compared to
Goodlcuk in Nigeria is Shagari. He is peaceful, he
has human feelings and he doesn't want to hurt an
ant. Amaechi and Adams Oshiomhole from the
South-South have projected that if Goodluck is the
president for the next four years, they will become
irrelevant. They will be out of power for four years.
Oshhiolome will be out of power for two years
plus. Oshiomhole is my brother, but when it comes
to standing with the president, friendship has got
nothing to do. If oshiomhole is going for the
presidency today, I will stake my life for him. But if
he wants to go and join people because of political
agenda or survival, we should jettison sacrifice and
die for the South-South.
So if Goodluck does not come back, anyone of
them will aspire for the position of Senate
President or the Speaker. Oshimhole is level
headed than this small boy, Amaechi. He is not
doing his own like a matured person, same as
Rochas Okorocha. If Goodluck can complete eight
years, they believe there is the likelihood that the
presidency will go up to the north, that is if he wins
the second term which I know he will.
The political interest of our people is at stake. They
will chase Rochas Okorocha away. Rochas is a
goner and he knows it and he will go. That is why
some of us are going to be aggressive with
Goodluck. There is no begging, there's no retreat,
no surrender. We are not taking any Prisoner of
War. It is going to be total vanquish, no Prisoner of
War. This one is do or die.
We are fighting for our soul and our survival now.
They have aligned with Tinubu and we are going to
see how it goes if Goodluck will contest. Let's see
how you will pass Goodluck and sit in Aso Rock. It
is not about weapons to fight. Everything will be
glaring and we will see it clearly. We heard
Amacehi has been buying guns for the people. It is
human beings that will shoot those guns. When the
time comes we will see. Oshimhole is very mild.
He opens ways for reconciliation, but Amaechi is
not allowing reconciliation. He has reached the
point of no return.
On the opposition of some PDP chieftains against
President Goodluck Jonathan: Kwankwaso is in
charge of Kano. What is Goodluck's business in
Kano? They printed Kwankwaso with Buhari's
posters in Kano. Whether he's behind him or not,
they will not win the election. I don't know whether
he is part of it or not. Kwankwaso support is
nothing. Atiku has started singing a new song. He
said Goodluck could contest in 2015.
I read it [in the newspapers] . I read it somewhere
that Obasanjo is the problem of the PDP. Bukola
Saraki did not support Goodluck; he was a
presidential candidate. It is that same grudge that
he is bearing against Goodluck. Each of the states
has its own political colouration. Goodluck didn't
win any state in the North East and North West
zones. People forget so soon. He got two-thirds of
36 states. He will have the two-thirds and win the
2015 presidential election. The election is
concluded, it is a foregone conclusion. When they
are contesting election in the USA they will tell who
will win.
We have done our calculations, and we know
Goodluck has already won. If Goodluck won the
last election with six million votes, now it will be
10 million votes. Most of them will start begging
very soon and some have started begging.
On the drop in revenue in Nigeria: He who owns
the land owns everything on the land and above
the land. The Niger Delta people own all the things
on the land and above the land in accordance with
equity. They can't steal what belongs to them.
In accordance with equity and good conscience
and natural justice, we will continue to have
problems. You can't take it from the Niger Delta
and bring it to build houses in Abuja and go and
develop Lagos and create Dangote, Otedola,
Adenuga, Emeka Offor and even create Dokubo-
Asari. There must be natural justice and great
conscience
Somebody sitting there at the National Assembly is
opposing the Petroleum Industry Bill, a bill that will
give more capacity to the oil producing
communities.
On Niger Deltans stealing oil: The oil belongs to
them. They have the right to take it. My problem is
the environmental degrading that comes with
taking of the oil. They have the right to take it, but
have no right to destroy the environment.
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GOD Bless Nigeria!!!

OBJ may not be too far from the truth. Al-mustafa was released by GEJ for a purpose - sure not in the interest of Nigerians

.

Wondering how it'll be easy for al-mustapha to be against his own people.