From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Chairman of the Bayelsa State Council of Traditional Rulers, King Bubaraye Dakolo Agada IV, has attributed the country’s poor governance and high level of citizen agitation to the faulty education system inherited from colonial masters.
King Dakolo made this assertion during the 2025 Feast of Barracuda, organized by the National Association of Seadogs—Pyrates Confraternity (NAS-PC) Oxbow Marino Deck, in Yenagoa, with the theme “Nigeria at a Crossroads: Democracy, Governance, and the Quest for Political Stability”.
According to King Dakolo, the wholesale adoption of Western education has created problems, citing the example of Nigerians who excel abroad but struggle to replicate their success locally.
He drew parallels with Asian countries, which have achieved better living standards despite sharing a similar colonial history.
King Dakolo also highlighted that the Ijaw ethnic group’s struggles, including the fight for resource derivation and representation, as evidence of the need for a more tailored approach to governance and education.
Earlier in his speech, the Capoon of Oxbow Marino Deck, Engr. Adogbeji Egbonoje provided a brief history of the Feast of Barracuda, highlighting the selection of relevant themes and engagement of resource persons.
The Guest Speaker, Dr. Tubodenyefa Zibima, Associate Professor of Political Science at Niger Delta University, Amassoma, in his lecture explored key issues, including the linking of democracy, governance, and political stability, democratic reversal and questions on whether democracy can survive in a functional political marketplace.