War In Niger Delta: Kalabari Monarch Draws Battleline With Olu Of Warri Over Alleged N2.7 Trillion Pipeline Contract Secrecy

War In Niger Delta

 

 

OpenLife News reports that the controversy over the alleged ₦2.7 trillion pipeline security contracts in the Niger Delta has escalated into a royal showdown, with the Amanyanabo of the Source, Da Amakiri Tubo, Alhaji Mujahid Abubakr Dokubo-Asari, challenging the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, to disclose full details of the deal.

The face-off follows a statement from the Palace of the Olu of Warri in response to issues raised by Dokubo-Asari over the selective criticism of Niger Delta leaders in the pipeline protection business.

In a statement issued by Alabo Daerefa-a Christopher Braide, Press Secretary to Dokubo-Asari, the Kalabari monarch said the response from the Warri Palace failed to address the substance of the controversy.

“The palace of Amanyanabo of the Source has taken note of the recent response from the Palace of the Olu of Warri to issues raised by Da Amakiri Tubo concerning the controversial ₦2.7 trillion pipeline security contract allegation.

“Rather than address the substance of the issues raised, the response from the Warri Palace appears more concerned with name-calling and personal invectives,” the statement said.

Dokubo-Asari said his intervention was triggered by the campaign of one Mr. Joel Omosere Agho, popularly known as Mr. Common Sense, who had challenged Niger Delta leaders including High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, and Dokubo-Asari over the region’s underdevelopment despite billions accruing from pipeline surveillance contracts.

He argued that Agho’s criticism was selective and ethnically biased.“For the avoidance of doubt, the Amanyanabo of the Source was not defending Tompolo.

“His reference to Tompolo was made in the context of the selective criticism directed at Niger Delta leaders, particularly when other individuals involved in the same pipeline security business, some of whom are alleged to earn even more, have been conspicuously excluded from the same scrutiny,” the statement read.

“If Mr. Agho is genuinely interested in transparency and accountability, the Amanyanabo of the Source challenges him to explain the basis for concentrating his criticism on Tompolo and Dokubo-Asari while overlooking the Olu of Warri and Osahon Idahosa, who are beneficiaries of pipeline security contracts and reportedly receive sums exceeding Tompolo’s earnings.

“Is it because they are his kinsmen from Itsekiri and Benin, while Tompolo is Ijaw?”

Dokubo-Asari insisted that accountability must not become a selective exercise where some individuals are targeted while others connected to the same business are spared.

He questioned why pipeline security was considered legitimate when businessmen from outside the Niger Delta dominated it, but became controversial when Ijaw leaders became involved under former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke.

“Dokubo-Asari has consistently maintained that his involvement in the Niger Delta struggle came at a significant personal cost. He has stated that he was detained 73 times and charged with treason under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo,” the statement added.

The former militant leader also challenged critics to tie accountability to actual constitutional responsibility.“Is Dokubo-Asari one of the governors of the Niger Delta states who receive monthly statutory allocations?

“Has he ever been appointed to head the NDDC, the former Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, the South South Development Commission, the Presidential Amnesty Programme or the Niger Delta Basin Development Authority?” he queried.

According to him, pipeline protection contracts are commercial arrangements and do not confer the constitutional responsibilities of elected governments or the statutory mandates of interventionist agencies, even though contractors are expected to carry out Corporate Social Responsibility in host communities.

“The people of the Niger Delta deserve the truth about pipeline security contracts, their beneficiaries and the development outcomes,” he said.

On the Warri Palace’s response, Dokubo-Asari was blunt, saying provocative language cannot substitute for facts.“What is the basis of the figures attributed to the alleged beneficiaries? What are the actual contractual arrangements?

“Who are the beneficiaries, and what are their respective interests? What mechanisms ensure that host communities receive tangible benefits?

“If the figures attributed to the Olu of Warri and Osahon Idahosa are inaccurate, the appropriate response is to present verifiable facts that correct the record,” he demanded.

He also rejected any attempt to diminish the Kalabari stool, stressing that the Amakiri dynasty predates contemporary political arrangements.

“The Kalabari traditional institution is an ancient and revered institution rooted in ancestry, customary law, historical continuity and the heritage of its people.

“It is not a title manufactured in a government office. Governments may recognise traditional institutions for administrative purposes, but they do not create the ancestral heritage,” the statement said.

He reiterated his call for full disclosure: “Let those who have questions ask them openly, and let those whose names arise in the controversy respond with verifiable facts.

“No one should be above scrutiny, and no one should be condemned selectively. Let the records speak.”