Determined not to bow to
the popular wishes of
Nigerians who are
protesting against his
government’s hike in fuel
prices, President Goodluck
Jonathan has resorted to
hiring Niger Delta militants
to threaten labor union
activists who are currently
leading their workers in a
nation-wide strike. Our
sources within the
government revealed that
Asari Dokubo, an ex-Niger
Delta militant turned
government lackey, had
been recruited to
coordinate the intimidation
of critical sectors of the
protesters.
In interviews earlier today,
two officials of the
Petroleum and Natural Gas
Senior Staff Association of
Nigeria (PENGASSAN) told
SaharaReporters that Asari
Dokubo had made several
threatening phone calls to
Folorunso Oginni, the
chairman of the Lagos zone
of PENGASSAN, as well as
Comrade Babatunde Ogun,
the group’s national
president.
“Asari Dokubo told our
leaders that oil platforms
will be occupied by Niger
Delta militants if PENGASSAN
decides to shut down
production in solidarity with
the ongoing labor strike,”
said one source.
One source in the
Presidency disclosed that
President Jonathan had
funneled funds to Asari
Dokubo and a few Niger
Delta militants in a bid to
use them to harass striking
unions.
“Nigerians and the world
need to know that
President Jonathan is
personally authorizing and
funding militants with a
history of violence to
intimidate labor leaders
whose only offense is that
they are pursuing legitimate
demands through time-
honored means,” said a
lawyer who said he had
been made aware of the
threats.
Asari Dokubo's threats to
PENGASSAN officials come
on the heels of a secession
threat made by Ankio
Briggs, a prominent female
member of President
Jonathan’s inner circles. In
a communiqué issued last
night under the auspices of
“Niger Delta Occupy Niger
Delta Resources,” Ms.
Briggs stated that, “If
Jonathan, a Niger Delta son
is not good enough to
govern Nigeria, the oil in
his Niger Delta is not good
enough for Nigeria.
“If the Niger Delta people
are not good enough to be
part of good governance in
Nigeria, then our oil and
gas of the Niger Delta
people is not good enough
for Nigeria.”
A source in Aso Rock told
SaharaReporters that Ms.
Briggs’ hardly veiled
secessionist threats and
declarations were directly
encouraged and funded by
President Jonathan in a bid
to intimidate Nigerians who
have flooded streets to
protest his administration’s
callous raising of the price
of fuel.
Shortly after the threats
were made, Thisday
newspaper wrote a report
claiming that some Niger
Delta militants had
surrounded oil platforms in
the Niger Delta region. The
reports were quickly
dismissed by PENGASSAN
officials who said they had
received no confirmation of
such developments from
their members in the region.
A reliable source in the
Presidency told
SaharaReporters that
President Jonathan
seriously believes his
administration could ride
out the current massive
protests by using bribery
to various interests,
including several media
owners. The source
disclosed that Mr. Jonathan
was sending emissaries to
traditional rulers as well as
publishers and editors
considered susceptible to
material inducement.
The source added that
President Jonathan’s
funding of Asari Dokubo
and other Niger Delta
militants was part of a
broader scheme by the
president to use ethnicity
to divide the country. The
source pointed to a recent
noticeable change in Mr.
Jonathan’s wardrobe,
stating that it was a
deliberate ploy by the
president to give the
impression that he is
aligned with the people of
the south east.
“Anyim Pius Anyim has been
coordinating support for
Jonathan among Ndigbo,”
said the source, adding
that Mr. Anyim and a few
southeast governors have
promoted the view that the
agitation against Jonathan
arose because of the
president’s decision to
hand over to an Igbo
president in 2015.
But an Igbo civil society
activist described such
divisive tactics as
regrettable, adding that he
was aware that President
Jonathan “is already
planning to run for another
term. Besides, it is childish
for Jonathan to promise
Igbos or anybody that he
will hand over to them.”
the popular wishes of
Nigerians who are
protesting against his
government’s hike in fuel
prices, President Goodluck
Jonathan has resorted to
hiring Niger Delta militants
to threaten labor union
activists who are currently
leading their workers in a
nation-wide strike. Our
sources within the
government revealed that
Asari Dokubo, an ex-Niger
Delta militant turned
government lackey, had
been recruited to
coordinate the intimidation
of critical sectors of the
protesters.
In interviews earlier today,
two officials of the
Petroleum and Natural Gas
Senior Staff Association of
Nigeria (PENGASSAN) told
SaharaReporters that Asari
Dokubo had made several
threatening phone calls to
Folorunso Oginni, the
chairman of the Lagos zone
of PENGASSAN, as well as
Comrade Babatunde Ogun,
the group’s national
president.
“Asari Dokubo told our
leaders that oil platforms
will be occupied by Niger
Delta militants if PENGASSAN
decides to shut down
production in solidarity with
the ongoing labor strike,”
said one source.
One source in the
Presidency disclosed that
President Jonathan had
funneled funds to Asari
Dokubo and a few Niger
Delta militants in a bid to
use them to harass striking
unions.
“Nigerians and the world
need to know that
President Jonathan is
personally authorizing and
funding militants with a
history of violence to
intimidate labor leaders
whose only offense is that
they are pursuing legitimate
demands through time-
honored means,” said a
lawyer who said he had
been made aware of the
threats.
Asari Dokubo's threats to
PENGASSAN officials come
on the heels of a secession
threat made by Ankio
Briggs, a prominent female
member of President
Jonathan’s inner circles. In
a communiqué issued last
night under the auspices of
“Niger Delta Occupy Niger
Delta Resources,” Ms.
Briggs stated that, “If
Jonathan, a Niger Delta son
is not good enough to
govern Nigeria, the oil in
his Niger Delta is not good
enough for Nigeria.
“If the Niger Delta people
are not good enough to be
part of good governance in
Nigeria, then our oil and
gas of the Niger Delta
people is not good enough
for Nigeria.”
A source in Aso Rock told
SaharaReporters that Ms.
Briggs’ hardly veiled
secessionist threats and
declarations were directly
encouraged and funded by
President Jonathan in a bid
to intimidate Nigerians who
have flooded streets to
protest his administration’s
callous raising of the price
of fuel.
Shortly after the threats
were made, Thisday
newspaper wrote a report
claiming that some Niger
Delta militants had
surrounded oil platforms in
the Niger Delta region. The
reports were quickly
dismissed by PENGASSAN
officials who said they had
received no confirmation of
such developments from
their members in the region.
A reliable source in the
Presidency told
SaharaReporters that
President Jonathan
seriously believes his
administration could ride
out the current massive
protests by using bribery
to various interests,
including several media
owners. The source
disclosed that Mr. Jonathan
was sending emissaries to
traditional rulers as well as
publishers and editors
considered susceptible to
material inducement.
The source added that
President Jonathan’s
funding of Asari Dokubo
and other Niger Delta
militants was part of a
broader scheme by the
president to use ethnicity
to divide the country. The
source pointed to a recent
noticeable change in Mr.
Jonathan’s wardrobe,
stating that it was a
deliberate ploy by the
president to give the
impression that he is
aligned with the people of
the south east.
“Anyim Pius Anyim has been
coordinating support for
Jonathan among Ndigbo,”
said the source, adding
that Mr. Anyim and a few
southeast governors have
promoted the view that the
agitation against Jonathan
arose because of the
president’s decision to
hand over to an Igbo
president in 2015.
But an Igbo civil society
activist described such
divisive tactics as
regrettable, adding that he
was aware that President
Jonathan “is already
planning to run for another
term. Besides, it is childish
for Jonathan to promise
Igbos or anybody that he
will hand over to them.”
No comments