In a video posted on Facebook, Alhaji Asari Dokubo, a prominent leader in the Kalabari Kingdom, cautioned against attempts to subjugate or overrun the South South region. He emphasised that any such attempts would be met with resistance, citing the region's capabilities to push back.
Dokubo expressed frustration over the hate and opposition towards the South, particularly regarding the long-overdue coastal road project. He highlighted the economic benefits of the road, noting that neighbouring countries like Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana, and Côte d'Ivoire have long enjoyed coastal roads, while Nigeria deliberately neglected its own.
According to him, "Let me tell you people, you cannot overrun south-south; you cannot subjugate us; if you try, we'll overrun you. You already know that we are capable of overrunning you. Why this hate? My people will say, it's not everybody that you will reply when they say something; these are very fundamental issues. The south-south needs this road, and it's an all-important road, and Nigeria has been losing a lot for not having a road on a coast that Benin Republic, like Togo, like Ghana, like Côte d'Ivoire, like Sierra Leone, et cetera, they travel along the coast, Nigeria is the only exception. And it was deliberate."
Watch the video from 5:38.