My fight with with Jonathan temporary – Dokubo

LEADER of the Niger Delta Volunteer Force, Asari Dokubo, says the failure of the Jonathan administration to address pressing national issues ,is responsible for his recent public criticism of President Goodluck Jonathan.
But he stressed that more than anything else, the criticism was aimed at spurring the president to perform and not to seek personal benefits.
Dokubo and his fellow ex-militia lords, Ateke Tom and Boyloaf, recently went public with their frustrations with President Jonathan, accusing him of paying lip service to the development of the Niger Delta after riding on the support of the people of the area to office.
There were suggestions in some quarters that the trio were only venting their anger after the Federal Government failed to renew the multi-billion naira contract awarded to some of them in respect of the protection of oil pipelines.
But Dokubo described the report as false, saying: “The president, in the first place, did not award any contract to me; so there is nothing to cancel. My position is based on principle.
“I fought (former President) Olusegun Obasanjo and he did not give me any contract. So why will they say I am fighting President Jonathan because he refused to renew a contract? In the first place, he is not aware of the contract.”
He blamed the allegation on sycophants and said it is nothing but cheap blackmail.
According to him, the President has suddenly become inaccessible thus thwarting efforts to let him resolve the problems of the Niger Delta.
Nevertheless, he said the disagreement with the president is a temporary one, adding: “The President is our brother; we can disagree but that does not mean that we will not reconcile. We are ready to reconcile and stand by our brother.
“As I said, I have nothing personal against the President, but if we try to talk in-house and that doesn’t work, we can talk openly.”
The NDVF leader also dismissed suggestions that the face-off could affect President Jonathan’s 2015 ambition, stressing that when the time is right his kinsmen would unite behind him.
“It is important to tell those who think they can use this opportunity to come between us and scatter us that they are completely mistaken. We will always reconcile,” he added.
He vowed that the people of the region would continue to engage in the struggle for a better deal. “We have a principled stand and that stand is: what belongs to us we will take by all means.”
He added: “Anybody who takes food from my mouth I will fight him. I have to continue the struggle but how can I continue the struggle when I do not have anything to eat?”