A Letter to my fellow Ijaws & Kinsmen on Boro's Memorial

Ahh Izon Ahh Izon Ahh Izon

Fellow Compatriots,

Today marks another day for the celebration of the memory of the doyen of our struggle, our eternal hero Isaac Adaka Boro. As we celebrate his memory, what do we feel? Do we feel fulfilled or do we feel destitute.

Forty years after his declaration of the Niger Delta Republic by Isaac Adaka Boro, where do we stand? Are we in the Canaan of our freedom? or in the Egypt of our captivity. Is there any legacy of Boro still left with us? Who are those amongst us who are still flying the flags of Boro? The cheer-leader 'executive' governors? Or The Ghana-must-Go third term legislators? Or The double-speak traditional rulers? Or the followerless youth leaders? Today they stand as the bankrupt and dubious legacy of Isaac Jasper Adaka Boro.

Fellow Ijaws and Niger Deltans, why do we even bother to celebrate his memory when we cannot even carry the gauntlet of the struggle for emancipation for which he (Isaac Boro) stood for? We claim to celebrate his memory while we spit on his grave. Boro turns in his grave in pains. The day before yesterday, it was IYC, yesterday, it was NDPVF, today it is MEND, Martyrs Brigade and COMA. What have we achieved other than the distortion and bastardization of the noble struggle bequeathed to us y our eternal hero Isaac Jasper Adaka Boro?

Fellow Ijaws, when Boro was in the creeks with the patriots fighting for the emancipation of our collective conscience and commonwealth, did he establish any liaison with the government of Tafawa Balewa, Michael Okpara, Osadebe, Shell BP and the Niger Delta Development Board? Was he collecting huge sums of money from them? What is happening today? Why is the IYC, NDPVF and MEND better known in Aso Rock, Creek Haven, Brick House Port Harcourt, Government House Asaba, Dappa Biriye House (NDDC Headquarters), Shell and other multinational offices and you still claim to be the bearers of this noble and incorruptible legacy. We should be ashamed of ourselves for we have betrayed the man who sacrificed everything even his life for our freedom. We are not worthy of celebrating his memory if we are not ready to walk the path he has beaten for us and arrived at the destination he has pointed to us FOR only then can we claim to be celebrating his memory.

DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL: OLD WINE IN NEW WINE BOTTLE

I hear General Olusegun Obasanjo, the ruler of the Nigerian state is at itr again. He assembled the cheerleader 'executive' governors, Ghana-must-go third term legislators, double-speak traditional rulers and followerless youth leaders to Abuja (the personification of our deprivation and impoverishment) to set up a new council for the development of the Ijaw and Niger Delta territory. The cheerleaders applauded him saying….'this is an old wine in a new bottle', for the Niger Delta Development Board was a huge success they said. The 1.5 derivation presidential committee was marvelous, OMPADEC was fantastic, NDDC has transformed the Niger Delta and surely, this new council will take us to el-dorado.

How long will we continue to fool ourselves vividly displaying our foolishness and bankruptcy before others?? We know where all this will end up like all others that preceded it. I appeal to you fellow Ijaws and Niger Deltans not to allow these leaders to mortgage our future and that of generations yet unborn. We must reject this council in its totality and tell General Obasanjo that we will not allow ourselves to be deceived again.

MORE CATHOLIC THAN THE POPE

Even though the majority of us involved in the struggle do not believe in the entity known as Nigeria, our cheerleader 'executive' governors, Ghana-must-go third term legislators, double speak traditional rulers and followerless youth leaders have continued to place roadblocks on our path to freedom by their continued insensitivity and total disregard for the collective consciousness, survival and improvement of the quality of life of our people. They have displayed gross arrogance to all that is sensitive to us.

When in the days leading to 2003 Ijaws constituted the greatest opposition to the misrule and illegal occupation of our land and country by the Nigerian state led by General Olusegun Obasanjo, the cheerleaders 'executive' governors and their cohorts in collaboration with INEC, the military forces of the Nigerian state, the police and other security agents wrote figures as both in favor of General Obasanjo which even the best filmmaker in Hollywood has not imagined. Today, these individuals are 100% supporting the evil life time presidency bid of General Obasanjo while his own people form the bulwark of the opposition against this evil ambition for self-perpetuation. We should not allow ourselves to accept this shame and disgrace. We must act now to reclaim and redeem our dignity and honour.

THE RESOURCES BELONG TO THE PEOPLE WHO OWN THE LAND

Our land is our life and we will never give it up. Therefore, we must mobilize ourselves on this day of our remembrance of our eternal hero, Isaac Jasper Adaka Boro. In all our towns and villages, in our creeks and mangrove swamps and forests as well as farmlands to prevent individuals and corporate bodies who have been allocated Oil Blocs by the government of the Nigerian state and who are not from Ijaw and Niger Delta regions or from any oil producing nationality from doing business in our areas. We must make sure we chase them away. We must also chase away service contractors working for oil multinationals that are also not of Ijaw or Niger Delta stock or of any oil producing nationality.

We must also make sure that all oil workers who are not from Ijaw and Niger Delta region or from any of the oil bearing nationalities is sent packing. These issues are not negotiable.

If you cannot carry arms and fight them, then you must fall trees and dig trenches on roads, creeks and forests leading to their sites. You can refuse to aid them by not speaking to them, selling to them or allowing your daughters to sleep with them. We must very hostile towards them. This is a minimum requirement to secure for ourselves, a better future for our children and unborn children. We must act now.

THE LABOR OF OUR HEROES PAST CANNOT BE IN VAIN

I salute the courage and resilience of our noble brother Government Ekpenkpolo and all others who have joined him to keep alive the spirit of the struggle bequeathed to us by our eternal hero Isaac Adaka Boro. He has written his name in gold for I know that freedom is near. We must join hands together with him, encouraging and assisting him to sustain the struggle the struggle.

Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force (NDPVF)

I support in its totality, the resolution of the Supreme and Central command of the Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force (NDPVF) and I pray fervently for them to be successful in the implementation of all the resolutions. I also appeal to them to continue to work in close collaboration with all other progressive organizations in the Ijaw and Niger Delta territories.

MY DETENTION

Compatriots, my illegal detention should not be a source of weakness but a source of strength for the struggle, for I am consoled by the fact that the role I have been called to play requires such tribulations and I am honored by the fact that all great leaders have walked this path. Leaders such as our eternal hero Isaac Adaka Boro and Ken Saro-Wiwa.

Therefore, it should encourage us to fight this struggle to its logical conclusion, for to me, it is either victory or death.

Many more of us will soon be in prison. Many will gain martyrdom but at the end of the day, we will arrive at the Canaan of our freedom. Be rest assured that I am well, hale and hearty.

I wish a happy and soul-rewarding Boro's Day celebration.

The struggle is unstoppable!

Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari