A statement made by a relatively unknown man called Godwin Daboh in 1974 – “If you Tarka me, I go Daboh you” – has become the locus classicus for reciprocating vicious attack with ferocious counterattack and has added to Nigeria’s political lexicon.
The prophetic undertone of Daboh’s statement can be seen in the paradoxicality of the story of Tarka and Daboh itself. While serving under General Yakubu Gowon (rtd.) as communications commissioner, Joseph Tarka threw down the gauntlet to the effect that people who knew corrupt officials should report them. Godwin Daboh, a relatively unknown businessman, responded by simultaneously releasing the above paradigm and giving credible evidence to indict Tarka for corruption. Following a few skirmishes, Joseph Tarka resigned from Gowon’s government in August 1974.
Let us look quickly and furtively at the Wike-Fubara imbroglio to see its implications on power play in Rivers State.
When Fubara succeeded Wike,…
Source: Guardian Newspaper
