Children of Drivers and Fishermen Association, CODAFA, has faulted an allegation by Mujahid Dokubo-Asari involving the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, and the family of the late Captain Hosa Okunbo, describing it as absurd.
CODAFA described the allegation as a calculated attempt to divert attention and inflame ethnic tensions.
President of CODAFA, Romeo Diden, in a statement, warned Dokubo-Asari against equating established, centuries-old traditional institutions with private military contractors and former militant groups.
Diden also defended the late Captain Hosa Okunbo’s legacy, saying he was a visionary entrepreneur, accomplished aviator and business pioneer who contributed to maritime security and logistics in Nigeria through corporate strategy and innovation.
The statement read in part: “For over two decades, the Niger Delta has been caught in a vicious cycle where genuine struggles for resource control have been hijacked by a select group of non-state actors who have commercialised agitation with a curious blend of armed struggle.
“In the court of public opinion, a lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth can put its boots on. Dokubo-Asari relied heavily on this maxim when he threw out the staggering figure of N2.7 trillion allegedly paid to the Olu of Warri and the Okunbo family for pipeline surveillance. This figure is not just an exaggeration; it is a mathematical absurdity, an operational impossibility, and a profound insult to the intelligence of the Nigerian public.
“To put N2.7 trillion into proper perspective, one must look at the audited national budgets of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the capital expenditure profiles of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
“NNPCL’s Production Cost Thresholds: For NNPCL to award a single surveillance contract worth N2.7 trillion to an individual or a localised cluster of individuals would mean allocating a massive chunk of the nation’s gross oil revenues purely to grass-clearing and pipe-watching. This would instantly bankrupt the national oil company and trigger immediate red flags across international financial institutions and joint venture partners.
“While valid national infrastructure budgets must be shared equitably across 36 states and the FCT, and actual surveillance spending is distributed across multiple legitimate regional firms and security agencies, Asari’s N2.7 trillion claim stands alone as a fictional allocation that wildly exceeds actual sector ceilings.”
Diden also defended the traditional institution of the Olu of Warri, arguing that the Warri Kingdom predates Nigeria’s modern political structure and has a history spanning more than 500 years.
“The Throne of the Olu of Warri (Ogiame) is not a creation of the Nigerian state, nor is it a product of post-colonial political patronage. The Warri Kingdom boasts an unbroken ancestral lineage stretching back over 500 years, characterised by sophisticated administrative structures, early international diplomacy with European empires in the 15th and 16th centuries, and a deeply institutionalised culture of law, order, and dignity.
“When the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, speaks or acts, he does so as the custodian of a proud civilisation. He does not operate from a position of agitation, nor does he look for validation through social media rants. The Palace functions as an institution of peace, structural development, and cross-cultural collaboration.
“To compare this grand, historic institution to a private military enterprise or to suggest that a revered monarch is competing on the same level as an ex-militant commander for pipeline security crumbs is a calculated attempt to desecrate the crown.”
The CODAFA president also defended the late Okunbo’s business legacy and that of his son, Osahon Idahosa.
“Equally egregious is the attack on Osahon Idahosa and the legacy of his late father, the iconic Captain Hosa Okunbo. Captain Hosa was a visionary entrepreneur, a brilliant aviator, and a commercial trailblazer who redefined maritime security and logistics in Nigeria through pure intellect and corporate strategy.
“Unlike those who gained leverage by disrupting oil production, blowing up pipelines, and kidnapping expatriates, Captain Hosa built legitimate corporate entities, such as Ocean Marine Solutions (OMS), that provided institutional, non-violent, technologically advanced security frameworks for Nigeria’s maritime assets. He proved to the world that the Niger Delta could secure its infrastructure using global corporate standards rather than crude intimidation.”
Diden argued that corporate security models based on governance, legal compliance and community engagement offered a different approach from what he described as the reliance of former militant groups on armed threats and government settlements.
He further alleged that Dokubo-Asari’s criticism of Idahosa sought to undermine indigenous business success and perpetuate the notion that armed agitation was the only route to participation in the oil industry.
According to him, such a narrative undermines the aspirations of young people in the Niger Delta who seek to succeed through education, business and professional development.
Diden also criticised what he described as the Nigerian state’s exploitation of oil-producing communities, arguing that the region’s natural resources had generated substantial revenue for the federation without corresponding benefits for host communities.
“The real villain in this scenario is not any traditional ruler or regional contractor; it is the Nigerian rentier state, which has systematically marginalised, oppressed, and exploited the very people and lands that sustain its economy.
“The ancestral lands over which the Olu of Warri holds spiritual and traditional sovereignty sit directly atop one of the richest, most geographically dense oil and gas deposits on the African continent. The onshore and offshore fields of the Western Niger Delta — spanning across Escravos, Forcados, and the vast mangrove creeks of Delta State — have pumped hundreds of billions of dollars into the federation account over the last seven decades.
“The wealth extracted from this cartographic space has been used to build the sweeping flyovers of Abuja, fund the mega-infrastructure of Lagos, and sustain the luxury lifestyles of the political elite across the country. Yet, what has the host community received in return?”
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