The Gross Ineptitude Of Nigeria’s Degenerate Elite And Where The Hope Of Africa Lies – M. Asari Dokubo
The Oasis Reporters
January 13, 2020
Ordinarily, I would not have traded words with undignified political jobbers, jesters and those who are looking for cheap popularity by saying what in a million life time they will never match nor achieve…If ever there is such thing. Today my intellectual life has become as common ground to insult and vilify me unjustly.
What has been often said is that “Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari went to the university but did not come out with a university degree…” This has been the sing-song of those who are buried in the marshy-waters of inferiority complex, who cannot match the superior argument, sagacity and moral aptitude of Mujahid Dokubo – Asari
If I may ask; what is the primary idea behind paper education? I mean scholarship? Is it not to test the understanding of an individual in a chosen field? So that a Medical Doctor becomes a novice or an illiterate in journalism? What is the parameter for judging the educational capacity of a Medical Doctor and a journalist; when the fields of their endeavor are opposite and are not in any way related? Will I then say because I’m a Medical Doctor, I’m more educated, refined, and knowledgeable or more ideological or philosophical than say, a journalist, dentist or artist? Or that I am more astute than Peter Tosh or Bob Marley, world-class, gifted and outstanding musicians? Or will a lawyer say; “I‘ve contributed more to society, therefore I ‘m more intellectually astute than Bill Gates, who abandoned Harvard University to pursue a dream project ?” Though Harvard University has normalized everything with him, academically.
How many lawyers in Nigeria could stand the late Gani Fawehinmi who graduated with a pass? Maybe that was what informed the gang-up against Him, when they felt their first class certificates could not match him, and that was probably why they denied him SAN for such a long time.
Therefore, I am not ashamed of the fact that I Mujahid Dokubo-Asari is not a university graduate. I have never claimed to be one. This is because I have seen the harm that crave for certificates has done to the black man, as well as the tyranny of the so-called certificated educated class, known as the elite, in post-colonial Africa. How they have plundered the resources of Africa, in collaboration with global bourgeoisie’ interests, and thieving multi-nationals.
Instead of burying their heads in shame, they continue to terrorize us with their so-called useless shit papers.
Where are the Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Henry Fords amongst us? Geniuses that changed their worlds without paper certificate?
Today, Africa glooms in darkness and wallops in the mire of grave diseases and poverty, because of the gross ineptitude of her degenerate elite – these so-called certificated educated people. It is clear that the hope of Africa lies outside certificate-wielding elite.
In South Africa, Jacob Zuma joined the struggle, and like me, made serious sacrifices, and has no certificate. Yet he made Africa proud, and astonished the world by organizing the best football World Cup ever..
What do you make of that ?
Ingenuity, brinkmanship, talents, sound gusto are what we need, not a list of moribund certificates!
…I was just discussing with my personal physician-an associate professor of nuclear medicine-over the reported breakthrough on HIV/AIDS….He sarcastically retorted if it is HIV SHUP? Saying, ‘please Mallam leave these people’…what do you make of this?
That there is something fundamentally wrong with us and that is our colonial mentality that certificates will help and it hasn’t.
In Nigeria today, at all strata of government, elites have presented themselves to be crowned as our natural, de facto rulers. For 60 years, they have left their trail of incompetence in hospitals and other health care systems which have become mortuaries, roads which are gullies and death-traps, schools which are places for breeding criminal elements; unrepentant truants or vagabonds, and have corruptly converted government vaults to private safes. This is the price Africa and the black man, has to pay for surrendering their destiny, to sticky fingered men and women, in the guise of being our political elite.
Every day, we open pages of newspapers and tune on radios, what do we read or hear? Governor so so, of so so has been arrested by the EFCC; his 28 houses sealed up in Abuja, 20 houses sealed up in Owerri, 50 houses sealed up in Kano! Are these the uneducated Dokubo Asaris of Africa, or his likes from their clan of university dropouts? Is this what our society bargained for in sending these reprobate elites, to universities to be trained?
How has elite university education, changed our society and made it look like Turkey, Singapore, China, Malaysia etc?
Having addressed my failure to acquire a university education, I would like to address some issues which have been misconstrued.
in my interview with Sunday edition of National Mirror, a few years back where it was reported that I said I will fight Goodluck if he does not ‘settle me.’ Put in proper context, he was expected to do the right thing or get ready to be fought. And the ‘right thing’, is to give me what belongs to me. Give the wealth of the Ogonis, the Itsekiris, the Urhobos, the Isokos, the Ibos to them, We cannot be princes, while walking on foot and strangers, slaves and servants are riding on horseback.
The questions the journalists asked me back then were these:
(1.) Don’t you think some people would say you are picking on the president this time because he has fallen short of your personal expectation of him?
(2.) How then would he be able to settle down with governance if you, his kinsman is fighting him on one hand, and Boko Haram, is killing innocent Nigerians, causing security challenge? (3.) Will there be peace if the president decides to give you what belongs to you?
Before this interview, some paid hirelings had gone to the press to say, I was attacking the president because he cancelled a purported pipeline contract given to me. As laughable as this demeaning claim is, I have decided to clarify the issue.
My answers are straightforward. Firstly, that I fought Obasanjo and late Yar’Adua, even when they were ready to give me oil blocks to renege on the struggle. Secondly, at that time, while many were afraid, I put my life on the line. I was detained at the SSS underground cell for nearly two years and under Yar’Adua, I went on voluntary exile for 10 months, because I refused to be criminalized by accepting his amnesty bribe.
So, what is the difference between Goodluck and the strangers I criticized, fought and battled day and night, when they were ready to give me oil blocks in the Niger Delta, which I honorably rejected. If I did all that why will I now criticize my own brother for a mere pipeline contract? Despite these seeming sacrifices, I will continue to maintain my stand without any apology, as I am not a gentleman at all. And that if any man tries to remove food from my table, I will fight him. I have legitimate rights and more, to the resources God has given to me, and as a custodian of the resources that I hold in trust for generations unborn. I will therefore not stand by and watch While some person will come and distribute these resources unjustly, in the name of an imaginary entity called ‘Nigeria’ and empower the Otedolas, Deribes, the Wale Tinubus, while I will be watching, NO! I no go gree, I go fight. If e fit fight, make e come fight me…..It is worse when the person doing this patent injustice, is your own brother, the same flesh, blood and bone with me. That somebody went to get the sh*t paper, that he went to university, so what? Those who want to stay on the road and carry guns, are free to do so. If they catch them, the hangman’s noose will not be far from them. It is important to know that our noble and patriotic struggle, is for the totality of our freedoms; politically, economically, and socially. It is for the independence of the Ijaw Nation. If anybody wants to remain a slave, that is his own business; just as it will be unpardonable for him to say I, Da Amakiri Tubo an Ijaw, must remain slave like him. Even if he’s an Ijaw and wants to remain a slave, we will jolly well help him to remain a slave, but we will never abandon our Long Walk to Freedom because of people who say that ‘a living coward is better than a dead hero’.
The very history of Ijaw, is the history of the struggle for freedom. Our way of life, and our crest of existence are engraved with how many wars we have fought. The history of Ijaw has been recorded by outsiders for over 500 years. Ijaw people no dey shame to carry gun, gun na part of our dressing. It is therefore necessary to put this record straight once and for all.
Alhaji Mujahid Asari Dokubo wrote this piece in 2013. The original piece has been edited and updated in view of the present time.
