The Maja-Maja Group (MMG), a Yoruba socio-cultural organization, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to direct the Directorate of State Services (DSS) to invite a former Niger-Delta warlord, Mujahid Asari-Dokubo, for questioning over his allegations against the military on oil theft in the Niger Delta.
Asari-Dokubo had while speaking with newsmen after a meeting with Tinubu in Abuja on Friday, accused the military of being at the centre of oil theft in the Niger-Delta region.
The former Niger-Delta warlord declared that “99 per cent of oil theft can be traced to the Nigerian military, the Army and the Navy especially”.
He also explained the reason why President Tinubu must not release detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
But MMG in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Akinpelu Adesina, and made available to newsmen in Ibadan on Sunday, said Asari-Dokubo needed to make more clarifications about his allegation.
“He should be bold enough to mention names of military officers involved in the criminal act”, the group declared.
MMG also condemned the call for continued detention of Kanu by Dokubo, describing it as an act of hypocrisy.
The organization maintained that it is uncharitable for the former Niger-Delta warlord to call Kanu a criminal that should be made to face the law, all because he (Dokubo) is seeking for pipeline contract from President Tinubu.
MMG urged Dokubo to remenber that he himself was once detained by the Federal Government during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime.
The Yoruba socio-cultural group noted that Dokubo is just scheming to rubbish Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo (a.k.a Tompolo) before the Tinubu’s administration.
MMG, however, added that no amount of hypocrisy by Dokubo can rubbish Tompolo’s achievements in the Niger-Delta region, especially as regards protection of petroleum pipelines.
The group used the opportunity to advise President Tinubu to use the proposed population census exercise to get accurate data base for Nigeria.
According to MMG, accurate data base is needed if the Tinubu’s administration really desire to address the socio – economic and political problems of Nigeria.
The organization added that both BVN and NIN policies could not address the lingering insecurity problems in the country because of the lack of accurate data base.
MMG particularly made reference to the Student Loan Act recently signed into law by the President, saying the programme does not reflect the realities in the country.
“For instance, an applicant for the loan or his parents must be earning total income less than N500k a year.
To earn N500k a year means that the husband and wife are earning less than N41,000 a month. That is N20,000 each, while minimum wage is N30,000. This means that any student whose parents are working, no matter how petty the job might be, is not qualified for the loan”, the group noted.
