16th January, 2012
Less than an hour after the Nigeria’s labour unions called off the nationwide strike over the removal of fuel subsidy, Asari Dokubo, the leader of Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, NPVF, led thousands youths on a peaceful protest.
The protest which took place along some major streets of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Capital, was tagged “Operation Occupy Your Resources.”
The protesters who were carrying placards lampooned the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, Trade Union Congress,TUC, and civil society groups for not protesting against systematic marginalisation of oil producing communities who have been crying over injustice and fraudulent depletion of their God given resources.
The placards read “Occupy Your Resources,Not Nigeria,” “Sovereign National Conference Now,” and “Why Not Occupy Nigeria When, Odi, Odioma, Gbaramatu were destroyed by the military?”
Others read: “Niger Delta Will Resist Any Attempt To Remove President Goodluck Jonathan”, “When Ndigbos and Southerners were being killed in the North why did Labour lead a nationwide protest,” “The Oil Subsidy Cabal Must Be Exposed,”etc.
Asari who was atop the roof of a Lexus SUV carrying the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force flag and other protesters caused a serious traffic jam along Ikwerre road.
They were followed in a measured distance by armed policemen drawn from the Rivers State Police Command in a convoy of about 10 troopers.
Asari had addressed his supporters at the Isaac Boro Park,in the state capital, on the need to be peaceful in their conduct during the rally.
—Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt