Nigeria has reached a point of saturation with the ceaseless and unfiltered outbursts of Asari Dokubo—a self-styled warlord who, in a functional state governed by a firm criminal justice system, would long ago have been answering for his history of armed insurrection, economic sabotage, and inciting rhetoric.
Having exhausted whatever relevance he once possessed in serious political and economic discourse, Dokubo’s latest fixation appears to be the launching of unprovoked verbal assaults against the ancient Great Benin Kingdom, its revered stool, and prominent Edo sons who represent the finest traditions of our heritage.
1. Setting the Historical Record Straight
Dokubo’s claims about Benin history and its relationship with the coastal communities betray a profound ignorance of the documented history of the region.
Imperial Reach and Cohesion: Historical records from early European chroniclers, including Portuguese, Dutch, and English observers, attest to the reach and influence of the Oba of Benin across substantial parts of what is now Southern Nigeria, including its coastal regions and waterways. Ijaw (Izon) communities lived, traded, and conducted their affairs within territories that came under the influence, protection, or administrative reach of the Benin Empire.
The “Ferrying” Fallacy: Dokubo apparently boasts that Ijaw watermen “ferried” the Benin Army during historical maritime expeditions to Lagos (Eko) and beyond. To present this as evidence of superiority is a curious distortion of history.
Those rivermen were contributing their specialised maritime skills to the military and commercial operations of a larger political order. In every great civilisation, different territories and communities contribute different skills to the strength and expansion of the state. Coastal populations provide maritime expertise; inland communities provide warriors, blacksmiths, administrators, traders, and strategists.
A boatman’s service to the Crown does not make the boatman superior to the King he serves.
2. Defending Edo Legacies: Captain Hosa Okunbo and Osahon Idahosa Okunbo
Dokubo’s recent attacks on the family and business interests of the late Captain Idahosa Wells Okunbo (Captain Hosa) reveal, at the very least, an unsettling hostility towards legitimate, enterprise-driven success.
Captain Hosa’s Legacy: Captain Hosa was a pioneering aviator, businessman, and philanthropist whose enterprises created thousands of legitimate jobs and generated substantial economic value across Nigeria. He built his reputation through intellect, strategic vision, entrepreneurial discipline, and hard work—not through gun-toting agitation, pipeline vandalism, or dependence on government concessions.
A Worthy Successor: Osahon Idahosa Okunbo has stepped into his late father’s shoes with remarkable maturity, poise, and competence. He continues to manage and develop the family’s maritime and industrial interests, building upon the foundation laid by his father and earning respect within the private sector.
Dokubo’s attempt to drag Osahon’s name into his own grievances is therefore difficult to understand except as another manifestation of the familiar hostility of men who cannot tolerate the sight of structured, lawful success flourishing around them.
3. A Reality Check on Royalty and Titles
Dokubo’s recent assumption of the title “Amanyanabo of Torusarama-Piri” may be a legitimate expression of a local traditional identity, but it cannot reasonably be placed in the same historical category as the ancient and enduring institution of the Oba of Benin.
Centuries of Dynasty versus Yesterday’s Stool: The Stool of the Oba of Benin represents an ancient and continuous monarchy, with a documented history extending back more than two thousand years. That history runs from the Ogiso dynasty, through the interregnum associated with Ekaladerhan and the Oduduwa exile tradition, to the emergence of Oranmiyan and the establishment of the Eweka dynasty, which continues to the present day. It also carries a global cultural legacy rooted in art, administration, law, diplomacy, and civilisation.
The Hierarchy: Whatever customary significance Dokubo’s newly assumed title may possess within its immediate locality, it carries no historical equivalence to the institution of the Oba of Benin. To place a recently assumed title associated with a small locality in the same historical and cultural league as the ancient Benin monarchy is not merely ambitious; it is historically untenable.
Indeed, the comparison is so disproportionate that it requires no elaborate argument. The Oba of Benin is not simply another traditional ruler. He is the custodian of one of Africa’s most enduring royal institutions and the living embodiment of a civilisation whose history predates the arrival of European colonial power by almost two thousand years.
Conclusion: A Final Caution
The Edo people are historically peaceful, hospitable, and accommodating; but accommodation must never be mistaken for weakness.
Asari Dokubo should therefore be cautioned by those around him and, where necessary, by the appropriate security authorities, to keep his provocations away from the revered Oba of Benin, the heritage of the Benin Kingdom, and the memory and families of Edo icons who built their names through enterprise, sacrifice, discipline, and value creation.
Nigeria is tired of the tantrums of a man who appears to mistake national forbearance for immunity.
He should attend to his own local politics, his own political grievances, and his own historical constituency—and leave the ancient and dignified heritage of the Benin people entirely out of his mouth.
Daniel Aroren Noah Osa-Ogbegie, a Benin-based legal practitioner, is Lead Counsel at Noah Attorney
