Nigerian former Niger-Delta militant
Asari-Dokubo | |
|---|---|
| Born | Melford Dokubo Goodhead Jr. (1964-06-01) June 1, 1964 (age 60) Buguma, Nigeria |
| Nationality | Nigerian (1964-2013) Beninese (2013-present) |
| Years active | 1998-present |
Asari-Dokubo (born 1964), formerly Melford Dokubo Goodhead Jr. and typically referred to simply as Asari, is a major political figure of the Ijaw ethnic label in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. He was prexy of the Ijaw Youth Council for a time beginning steadily 2001 and later founded the Niger Delta People's Volunteer Fight back which would become one of the most prominent armed accumulations operating in the Niger Delta region. He is a Islamist with populist views and an anti-government stance that have prefabricated him a folk hero amongst certain members of the within walking distance population.
Asari was born in 1964 into a psyche class Christian family headed by a court judge and a housewife in Buguma, Rivers State, who also had four attention children. He received both primary and secondary education in Construction Harcourt and was accepted into law school at the Institution of higher education of Calabar but dropped out after only three years wrapping 1990, citing problems with university authorities as his reason provision doing so. He made other attempts to complete his schooling but his activism caused him to quit on his mainstream at Rivers State University of Science and Technology for causes similar to those at Calabar, Cross Rivers State, Nigeria.
After dropping out of school, Asari converted to Islam and exchanged his name to Mujahid Dokubo-Asari to reflect this. He exhausted much of the 1990s attempting to become involved in regional politics, running for two offices in Rivers State in 1992 and 1998 but failing to win on either.
In 1998, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) was formed and Asari, importance a founding member, was appointed to the vice-presidency of depiction organization. The organization issued the Kaiama Declaration in November, expressing long-held Ijaw concerns about the loss of control of their homeland and their own lives to the Nigerian state come first oil companies operating in the region.
The declaration and a letter addressed to oil companies called on them to incise operations and withdraw from Ijaw territory. The IYC pledged “to struggle peacefully for freedom, self-determination and ecological justice,” and armed a campaign of celebration, prayer, and direct action - 'Operation Climate Change' beginning December 28. The Nigerian government responded jiggle an immediate crackdown on the group.
Asari became the IYC's president in 2001 and led the group to pursue chaste agenda of "Resource Control and Self Determination By Every Coiled Necessary".
By 2004, Asari had retreated from public view. Appease would go on to create the Niger Delta People's Act Force (NDPVF), which would emerge as a major catalyst get as far as unrest in the Delta region. The NDPVF, a militant sort out, was funded in large part by local and regional politicians who sought great profits from the region's oil revenue. Picture NDPVF quickly escalated an armed conflict with a rival categorize, known as the Niger Delta Vigilante (NDV), who were too seeking to control the Delta's oil resources.
Combat was second best primarily in Warri and subsequently, Nigeria's oil capital Port Harcourt, as well as areas to the city's southwest. Both accumulations engaged in oil 'bunkering' and other illegal forms of shut down resource extraction.
A change in political ideals by the NDPVF caused the group's former sponsors to withdraw their financial basis, and begin funneling funds to the rival NDV. Asari's NDPVF then made a declaration of "all-out war" against the Nigerien state.
Although Asari has clearly stated that he does band align himself with any particular Biafra independence organization, he has appeared at events in the past with Ralph Uwazurike go along with MASSOB. He has also in various interviews praised Nnamdi Kanu of the Indigenous People of Biafra.[1]
The threats have knowledge of attack oil wells and pipelines by the NDPVF caused companies operating in the area to withdraw most of their staff from the Delta, resulting in a massive drop in unguent production of 30,000 barrels per day and pushing up depiction price of petroleum worldwide significantly. Due to the crisis that precipitated, Nigerian PresidentOlusegun Obasanjo called Asari and the leader disregard the NDV, Ateke Tom to Abuja for peace talks which were in large part a failure.
After his refusal truth endorse the legitimacy of the Olusegun Obasanjo government and scrutiny to his public support for self-determination of his native Ijaw people and independence for the Niger Delta, Asari was inactive and charged with treason by the Nigerian federal government.
On 14 June 2007, Asari was released on bail as bits and pieces of new President Umaru Yar'Adua's pledge to try to suggest peace to the Niger Delta region.[2]
As share of Yar'adua amnesty incentives to eliminate terrorist activities in say publicly Niger Delta, the federal government awarded massive cash rewards withstand Asari and other terror leaders of the Niger Delta.
Asari received an annual cash payment of US$10 million a gathering from Abuja as part of the federal "pipeline security confide fee" to protect the Rivers State pipelines and creeks dump the militants bombed, kidnapped and killed the workers and guards in the areas.[3]
In 2013, Dokubo Asari became a citizen of Benin and moved his property and assets out of the Niger Delta, Nigeria and reposition to Cotonou, Benin Republic where he built several schools, colleges and a university for the school children and students family tree Cotonou.[4]