Surveillance Contract: Dokubo’s figure, was provocative – Warri Kingdom Women

Vociferous Itsekiri advocacy group, Voice of Warri Kingdom Women Initiative, VWKWI, says the claim by Asari Dokubo that firms connected to Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, get N2.1 trillion naira annually from pipeline surveillance contract, is provocative and capable of reinforcing suspicions, reviving old grievances and providing ammunition for people, who would rather interpret every disagreement through an ethnic lens.

President of Voice of Warri Kingdom Women Initiative, Mrs. Vivian Eric Mene, who waded into the controversy Wednesday October 7, in an exclusive telephone chat with Fresh Angle International, said Asari Dokubo’s statement, should not be confused with credibility and his forcefulness should not be mistaken for evidence.

Whilst stressing the need for Dokubo to produce documentary evidence, showing that The Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III receives N2.7 trillion annually from pipeline surveillance contracts, the Itsekiri women leader, averred that Dokubo’s public appearance is still associated with militancy, confrontation and inflexible style of political expression.

“Pipeline surveillance contracts, are not usual business arrangements, because oil and gas, constitute critical national asset, and the security of pipelines has direct implications for crude-oil production, government revenue, foreign exchange earnings and the wider stability of the national economy.

“And if no wrongdoing is established, politically charged allegations should not be allowed to substitute for evidence. The temptation should not be to dismiss everything Dokubo says, simply because of his militant past. That would be intellectually lazy. Equally, neither should his reputation as a fierce Niger Delta voice confer automatic credibility on his allegations. His claims must stand or fall on the quality of the evidence supporting them. His history also makes consistency an important question.

 “Provocative interventions can acquire consequences far beyond the individuals involved. And this is where the real danger lies. The Warri question involves communities with long and complicated histories of grievance and competition. Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo relations require responsible leadership, not rhetoric that can easily be interpreted as provocation. At a time when stakeholders are working to preserve peace and prevent old disputes from becoming new conflicts, public figures who enter the debate carry an obligation to exercise restraint.

 “The Niger Delta has paid a heavy price for politics conducted through confrontation and inflammatory rhetoric. It would be deeply unfortunate if old habits of militancy and unguarded speech were allowed to reopen ethnic anxieties that responsible stakeholders are trying to put behind them.

“The central question, therefore, is not whether Asari Dokubo can command attention. He plainly can. The question is whether the substance of what he is saying can survive independent scrutiny. Whoever makes the allegation should provide the evidence. Whoever is accused should have the opportunity to respond. And where national assets, oil revenues and matters of energy security are involved, the Nigerian state cannot afford to have policy and security decisions driven by political rhetoric, ethnic suspicion or the force of individual personalities. Pipeline security is ultimately about more than contracts”, she explained.

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