King Bubaraye Dakolo, Agada IV, Ekpetiama Ibenanaowei, brought a new edge to the office of Chairman, Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council, from the day he took office. More than any of his predecessors, he has drawn greater attention to the role of the traditional ruler in governance. He has underscored the importance of documentation in the life of a people, and demonstrated the duties of the king as an everyday philosopher. In this case, one with an articulate pen in hand. For a start, he counts as the first Chairman of Council to have published more than one book in office.
Not that there have been no royal authors before him. His Eminence, Dr. Edmund Maduabebe Daukoru, Chairman of the South-South Monarchs Forum, holds the distinction of being an author of five books, but those books were written long before he sat on the Mingi throne. His Royal Majesty Okpoitari Diongoli, Opu Okun IV, Ibedaowei of Opokuma Clan, came close to achieving the dream of being a royal author, but the first book he wrote as a king did not come to light before he passed on.
King Collins Ebi Daniel, paramount ruler of Abureni Clan in Ogbia local government area, may well lay claim to that honour in his own right. On 6 May 2017, he hosted the world to the formal presentation of his first book, _A History Of Iduma From Ancient Times_ . HRM Alfred P. Diette-Spiff, Seriyai II, Amanyanabo of Twon-Brass, served as chairman of the occasion at the Presidential Hotel, Port Harcourt. King Collins Daniel went on to publish a second book, _Arbitration & Dispute Resolution In Nigeria, 2022_ , with former President Goodluck Jonathan serving as special guest of honour at the public presentation in Yenagoa.
But King Bubaraye Dakolo has evidently surpassed that feat, and set a new record. Beyond taking notes and signing his signature into official files, Dakolo is the first Bayelsa king to have written and published five books so far, three of them while in office as Chairman of the Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council. Each book comes with its own individual thematic fascination. Dakolo virtually rode into office on the crest of the wave caused by his controversial book entitled _Riddle Of The Oil Thief_ .
In brief, the book posits that the oil thief touted by government is different from the real oil thief. The author argues that the oil thief often paraded on television as the mindless bunkerer is only the victim of a larger conspiracy master-minded by highly placed lords of the ring who command ocean liners as key stakeholders in an international market of oil and gas fraudsters bent on bleeding Nigeria dry. The book is rich in historical facts and random statistics about the environmental havoc unleashed on the oil producing communities in the Niger Delta area. Its precipitate position is that the complex syndicate of oil thievery must be broken, if Nigeria is to enjoy a new lease of life.
The mindset canvassed by the author in the pages of that book have continued to give colour to King Dakolo’s response to everyday realities, and his interpretation of the unrelieved plight of the Niger Delta people. In recent times, the king had cause to hinge his response to political developments in Rivers State in like manner, when President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the state, suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Dr. Mrs Ngozi Ordu, as well as members of the Rivers State House of Assembly in entirety. As far as the king is concerned, the President over-reacted and stepped beyond the bounds of the Constitution, to have suspended the mandate given by the people, and imposing an Administrator to boot.
‘That was an over-reach’, said King Dakolo. ‘The idea of a state of emergency is to restore peace, not to boot out an elected government. There’s been mayhem in other parts of the country. People are being killed in Zamfara, Yobe, and Benue every day. Even soldiers are being killed in those places every day. Yet, no state of emergency was declared in those states. Herdsmen are on rampage every day. Nothing has been done to check them. One isolated explosion in Rivers, and a state of emergency was declared. I think Mr President over-reacted, and he acted against the Constitution.
‘He has to rescind his order, and recall Ibok-Ete Ibas. In fact, if I were the retired Vice Admiral, I would have turned down the assignment. That is the responsible thing to do. No honourable and right-thinking person should accept that kind of offer. But, then, everyone wants to partake of the oil wealth. Mr President can declare a state of emergency, yes, but he does not have the powers to kick out a democratically elected Governor, deputy and the legislature in one swoop. These are people holding the mandate of the electorate. That’s the point’.
King Dakolo’s comments came on the heels of a dismissive slight on the Ijaw nation, following the untoward utterances of Barrister Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, during a widely broadcast press conference. The king’s response was one of equal disdain.
He said: ‘I do not know any Wike. His utterances are not worth my time. What he says about the Ijaw nation amounts to nothing. The Ijaw nation has been a formidable entity in Nigeria long before Wike was born. The Ijaw nation has made landmark contributions to the development of Nigeria. The wealth from the Ijaw nation has shaped the landscape of Nigeria more than any other ethnic group. The Ijaw nation is the hub of oil and gas.
‘A simple roll call of noble Ijaw sons would include Ernest Sisei Ikoli and Harold Dappa-Biriye, for a start. Both statesmen negotiated Nigeria’s independence with the British colonialists, face to face, at various conference tables. Where was Wike then? Where was he when Isaac Adaka Boro was fighting against Ojukwu’s attempt to annex the resources of the swamp? Didn’t he ever hear of Gabriel Okara and E.J. Alagoa?
‘It is a pity that we are living with characters who, in saner climes, should have been behind bars. In Nigeria, ironically, such characters are holding the highest offices in the land. They say anything and get away with it. What Wike needs to know is that public offices go with a lot of responsibility. As I speak to you, I’m being very careful because of the position I occupy. I’m watching my choice of words. So if an individual opens his mouth to spew anything, the best thing is to discountenance it altogether. It’s best to ignore him because such characters feel important when they get responses from higher quarters.
‘As far as I know, Wike’s utterances amount to gutter talk. It’s small-minded banter. It is nothing but a motor park comedy show, and governance is not a comedy show. If anyone is trying to diminish the contributions of a man like Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, a man that was brutally frank to a fault, then I feel sorry for that person. Wike was only seeking relevance by tackling great minds’.
Whatever it may be, Wike’s carefree utterances, his unapologetic grandstanding, have snowballed into the proclamation of an emergency rule in Rivers State, the suspension of the Governor, his Deputy, the House of Assembly, and the appointment of a Sole Administrator. Two arms of government, the executive and the legislature are in suspension, and the judiciary has questions to answer. It all comes to King Bubaraye Dakolo as a riddle begging for resolution, and the king is all too ready to proffer one
He said: ‘Nigeria is dominated by extremely selfish characters, and the evidence is to be seen everywhere. For about 25 years, the riverine people, particularly the Ijaws, had not occupied Brick House, Port Harcourt. Dr Peter Odili served for eight years. Then came Celestine Omehia. Rotimi Amaechi took over and stayed for eight years. After him came Nyesom Wike for another eight years. They’re all upland Rivers. So when Siminalayi Fubara came, it was a big turn-around. It reminded everyone of the need for a balance in the equation’.
King Dakolo thinks it is devious and unfair to plot the fall of Fubara after only two years in office. He thinks a stronger reason should have been given for the declaration of a state of emergency, beyond an isolated explosion on a trunk line. He said: ‘In all the debates I heard, the emphasis was on the economic consequences to Nigeria. The truth is that it’s about the desire of the Nigerian state to prey on the resources of the state. It all amounts to a barely veiled bid to intimidate and annex the oil resources of the Rivers people. Simple.
‘If indeed the threat was about insecurity of oil pipes, what is the JTF all about? If a pipeline is blasted into pieces, it is the responsibility of the JTF to fish out the culprits, and protect the pipelines. This is just another attempt to further militarise the Niger Delta. In fact, since 1967, the Niger Delta has been militarized. JTF has the entire apparatus to protect oil facilities. It’s like leaving the substance and chasing the shadow, so that oil wells can continue to flourish. This one is too obvious to be missed. The target is the oil and gas resources of the Rivers people’.
In the perception of the king, this was just one more shade of oil thievery. The Nigerian state, he maintains, has not properly defined the oil thief, and government itself may well be culpable. The image of an oil thief known by the Federal Government is actually the image of a victim of oil thievery. King Bubaraye Dakolo seizes the opportunity to speak his mind on a wide range of topical issues that have obviously been bugging him.
Take the matter of ports in Nigeria, for instance. Why are the sea ports not working in the Niger Delta? Why are the ports in Port Harcourt and Calabar incapable of reaching their full potential? That is because, from the days of General Olusegun Obasanjo as Head of State, every other port was emasculated so that only the Tin-Can Island port in Lagos would function. There is no room for other ports to compete with that.
He said: ‘The Nigerian state is not interested in getting any other port working. If there’s a functional port in Port Harcourt, Brass, or Agge, goods from Onitsha will come through Port Harcourt rather than Lagos. Trade will be cheaper. Clearly, the agenda is to dispossess the riverine area, the delta region specifically, so that economic prosperity will continue to flourish in the west. Tin-Can port is always so overcrowded that traffic through Apapa Wharf, Lagos, remains tight and difficult. Yet there’s an obvious option waiting to be explored. The same thing holds true for the oil companies. As we speak, all the headquarters of oil companies are in Lagos. Why are they shy of having their headquarters in the Niger Delta where the oil is mined’?
For King Dakolo, these questions beg for urgent answers, and he is hoping that the government of the day would be progressive enough to upgrade all ports in the country, and give appropriate boost to economic life in the Niger Delta. In his thinking, these are the hard realities that noble sons of the region, like Chief Edwin Clark, have been confronting over the years, even till his last day. The king’s reaction to the passing of the respected elder statesman was fresh and personal. As he put it at length: ‘A vacuum has been created in Nigeria, especially in the Niger Delta, and among the Ijaws in particular. Clark had the entire history of pre- and post-colonial Nigeria in his head. We have lost someone who saw the country evolve over the years, someone who followed developments closely, and spoke out without fear or favour. He was known to be brutally frank at all times, and the title of his only book confirms it.
‘Imagine if Chief Edwin Clark were still alive today, would Wike say what he said? He would have received a swift, fatherly reprimand. At 97, Edwin Clark could react in writing to topical issues of the moment. It is remarkable that he was in his 80s when he established the university named after him in his hometown, Kiagbodo. He issued position papers that were unparalleled. His demise is a big loss. It brings into focus the range of his lifetime achievements.
‘The Clark story is similar to what I have been trying to express with a lot of difficulty,” says King Dakolo. “The Nigerian state is completely blind to the conditions of the Niger Delta people. It is a story of neglect. Even as we speak, there are no filling stations in Nembe, Ekeremor, and Southern Ijaw. These are primary communities that play host to the oil and gas wealth that feeds the nation. No filling stations. Only oil manifolds and pipelines are to be seen. How callous can we get?
‘Only in Nigeria is there no care for the people who live where the wealth of the nation is to be found. E. K. Clark always wanted a better deal about what has been sustaining this country. He sought to correct obvious anomalies in the Nigerian state. He came to realise that what has been called a derivation fund is actually a deprivation fund. The emphasis has been on the 13% derivation when, in fact, the 87% deprivation imbalance should not stand. The basis of the entire calculation is wrong.
‘So much is wrong, in fact, with our nation. The road safety corps is funded with oil money from the creeks, and yet no river craft is provided for the safety corps to patrol the waterways. The NDLEA, Customs and Immigration, and all other government agencies are funded with resources from the swamp. Yet these agencies cannot afford boats to operate in the riverine areas. They all look up to the state government to buy them boats. What kind of a country is this’?
King Bubaraye Dakolo became Ekpetiama Ibenanaowei on 14 May 2016. He was six years on the throne before he was proclaimed Chairman of the Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council on 16 March 2022. He officially took office on 30 April 2022. The king is only too familiar with his run of duties. He knows too well that the body of traditional rulers serves as a beacon for the people. It is an institution that deserves all the visibility it can get.
‘We put up appearances where we should, in order to give direction, guidance and assurance. As far as I’m concerned, culture is not cast in stone. Culture is dynamic. Times are changing. Royal fathers need not be fixated in times past. We should evolve with the times. The king has every reason to be computer literate, and remain conversant with the social media’.
As Chairman, King Dakolo exemplifies this evolution. He is never shy of stepping into the klieglights. In fact, he believes that is where he belongs, in the front row of public discourse. He is all too aware that he represents an institution that stands for fairness, justice, and equity. He is equally expected to demonstrate the noble qualities of resilience and self-confidence in his carriage. He knows too well that society looks forward to the viewpoint of the traditional ruler, and he represents that viewpoint.
In 2021, a major oil blow-out occurred along the Santa Barbara Oil Field Well 1. For 38 days, the well-head spilled high velocity oil leakage in two directions. AITEO could not control it. The spill covered the entire Nembe area right up to the Atlantic Ocean, to Rivers and Delta. It got so severe that the Bayelsa State Traditional Council met to deliberate on the disaster.
King Dakolo woke up to the challenge, marshalling every argument in the book and bringing his credentials as an environmental activist of many years standing to bear on the subject. He spoke at length about his distrust for oil companies, and had cause to condemn AITEO and its ineptitude. A few days later, AITEO dispatched some bags of rice and Indomie noodles to pacify the body of royal fathers, as a first step to the company’s intervention. King Bubaraye Dakolo took offence on a full scale.
The King said: ‘I was so cross with AITEO, that I got into a boat with some environmentalists to see things at first hand, and I spoke vehemently against the inadequate response of oil companies to the plight of swamp dwellers, and the press gave it enough coverage to get AITEO to do the needful.
‘So, the traditional ruler is a contemporary person. Since culture is dynamic, he should be dynamic as well. What obtained two hundred years ago should not remain so. We should evolve. The king doesn’t have to tie a wrapper always as in times past. The king should be a pace-setter. He should embrace change, and wear befitting trousers beneath his robe. The long and short of it is that Ijaw kingdoms should be forward-looking, rather than stagnate’.
King Bubaraye Dakolo has good reason to commend Diri’s performance in the last five years, and believes that Diri will make the best of the next three years. ‘I congratulate the Governor over the Bayelsa Environmental Report which came out in October 2024, after several years of assessment, indicting Shell and other oil companies. The report declares that one billion naira should be spent every year for 12 years, to revive and restore our environment. That is bound to make a lot of difference to our state in the days to come.
‘I think the Bayelsa State government needs to pay attention to the environment, and prevail on the Federal Government to redefine the parameters for good. Once that happens, there will be more money for the Federal Government and therefore for the state, and life would become better for one and all’.
Ultimately, King Dakolo is scandalised no end that the Federal Government of Nigeria is blissfully unaware of who the oil thief really is. He cannot cease to be amazed at the irony that the Federal Government is losing money to oil thieves, and losing more money trying to curb oil thievery. ‘If we don’t correct that anomaly, our resources will continue to dwindle, and we will be compelled to accept the false narrative that the oil thief is found in Bayelsa when, in fact, you can only find victims of oil thievery in the state.
‘Anyone who removes the oil and gas factor in any discussion on Nigeria leaves out a major variable. What seventy years of oil and gas exploration has done is to ensure that every community is divided against itself. Lopsided values have been encouraged, and those who ought not to be in community governance are in charge. It’s like cultism which started about 50 years ago. Today, even university professors are cultists. That’s the scenario that must be corrected’.
