Tahir Ibrahim Tahir
And he needs no introduction as he has consistently intruded public space with categorical and pungent statements and declarations which always sound like Nigeria erupting any minute, starting from his stronghold; the Niger Delta. I admire his stature and courage; seemingly, there exists tons of people who clandestinely carryout on a daily basis, those activities that indefatigable Asari-Dokubo threatens every now and then. I usually wonder why people complain about his proclamations and boasts; he is entitled to freedom of speech and thought, aloud or quietly. Coming from the oil rich Niger Delta it must be painful to see Nigerians squandering his people’s God given riches. If I were from the Niger Delta, I would be caught bragging and threatening a lot more than the great Dokubo who is for now, representing his region well.
Nigerians have come to reckon with the military prowess that Dokubo and his movement possess and quite Frankly if all he says is true, then we are all toast should they decide to go with their instincts.
On the other hand, embarrassingly too, the Nigerian military has not only been portrayed as, but has also accepted the image of a lame duck; evident with its attitude and losses in the Boko Haram faceoff. Accounts by individual soldiers in the battlegrounds as well as statements and perhaps excuses given by top federal and military brass allude to the helplessness of the military due to the sophistication of the Boko boys in terms of armoury and skills. The defense budget remains a no go area and thousands are dying. It remains to be seen if the legislature will ask questions over the handling of more than 4 trillion naira in defense budgets or not. Missing dollars in the petroleum industry should be left alone for now, after all lives are not lost there right? The legislators’ attention should be in the defense’s spending if they must make probes into monies spent.
Nigerians must have now risen beyond the realisation and the accompanying embarrassment that our military are inept and are like lasagna to the Boko boys. What we must rise to; is the plea for help and the cooperation with the much needed ‘help’. The scourge of this Boko thing is more endemic and consuming than the authorities ever envisaged and had it not been for the foreign hands lending the country support, the federal government would have had all of its military might emasculated by the insurgency. Thank heavens there are very many big brothers in the world noticeably Ghana which is sending troops to help poor Nigeria out.
This scenario took my attention to Asari Dokubo and the military firepower he has been chanting and I thought to ask; is the Nigerian government too big to ask for Dokubo’s help with his armoury? Or don’t they believe he has what he says? Don’t they have confidence in his strength? I am more than convinced that were he to be contacted to bring his firepower to bear on Sambisa, this whole Boko thing will be brought to its knees! I doubt if he will not heed this call as an opportunity to brandish and run his toys, after all the arsenal he has collected must be used someday, better now.
Bottom line is; Nigeria and Nigerians have treated this no Boko thing as a Northeastern thing and everyone stood aloof; including the federal government, just as Governor Kashim Shettima spelt out on CNN when he was interviewed last week. The girls in Chibok are alive and remain the key to unlocking this massacre that continues unabated. Without them, no boko would have continued their swing, unstopped.
Not only Dokubo, we need the OPC from Lagos, the Sarasuka from Bauchi, the Kalare from Gombe, the Yandaba from Kano and all other militia that usually spur fire and breath out hot smoke; they should all come together, join hands and fight this war laden movement that threatens all Nigerian lives, Muslim and Christian, northern and southern. It is no longer an Islamic or northeastern matter. It is a national matter and only a patriotic and collective approach can save us.