How Federal And State Governments Don’t Mean Well For Youths Of South-South

One of the evils of leadership in the South-South among all tiers of government has been that over the years, all interventions and resources committed to youth development are targeted at pleasing the violent among the youths the neglecting the peaceful and law-abiding.

From federal government Amnesty, also replicated by some states and local governments, which was purely targeted at pleasing violent militants, to other youth programs, whether by NDDC, or Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, it is the violent/restive and combative youths that determine who benefits.

Sadly, these violent militant leaders, name them, Tompolo, Asari Dokubo, Atake Tom, and Boyloaf are unlettered, so unenterprising that all they want are bogus gratification contracts of bloated sums to live large while splashing fractions of the loots on hangers on.

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In the celebration of this trajectory of lording mediocrity over merit and capacity, the violent over the peaceful, militant leaders with a profound history of gunrunning, killings, oil theft, and assets vandalism on the creeks/land areas have become established as not just the symbols of youth leaderships, but alternative voices to the government in the land.

Aside from laying all Amnesty opportunities on the laps of militant leaders and their gangs, when government doles out multi-billion naira oil assets surveillance contracts, it is these violent militant leaders who must have the right of first refusal to win/get the jobs. When NDDC shares largesse for youth, it is these violent militant leaders they must look up to for sharing. Now the violence in the region determines who gets party tickets for elections or who gets political appointments.

It now pays to be a violent youth and be militant in the South-South. The most respected people in the South-South are the violent militants. They alone gain all the attention and gratification. Asari Dokubo was a special guest to dine and wine with President Bola Tinubu, not for any outstanding leadership quality he has, but because he is a violent militant leader with a reckless mouth to pass the blame and exaggerate his influence in the scheme of things.

Asari Dokubo enjoys the rare privilege

to address press conferences in the Presidential Chambers that no minister of the federation or Chief of Staff to the President or Secretary to Government of the federation, indeed any cabinet member dare sit to address the press, simply because Asari Dokubo is a violent militant leader.

Most senior special advisers (SSAs) are appointed from the violent youths in Delta state since 1999 till date, of which Sheriff Oberovwori rose through the ranks to become governor today. What country promotes violent youth and militants as role models and expects to make progress? Those who are supposed to be in jail are being celebrated as great achievers and power brokers.

The educated are derided and neglected to embrace keke riding and commercial motorcycling as livelihoods. Which investors will take President Bola Tinubu seriously in his campaign to attract foreign investments if he is dining and winning with the Asaris, Tompolos, Boyloafs, and ‘violent merchants’ as role models?

With unschooled, uninformed militants as key actors and drivers of development initiatives in the South-South, it means education is useless. At the community level, only the same violent youths can be community leaders, so the circle of violence is sustained.

Why does the federal government of the day blame security chiefs for failing to secure the country when violent youths are being recognized by the politicians in power with thieving contracts?

Zik Gbemre

June 26, 2023

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