Kanu must be strong for Biafra

Kanu must be strong for Biafra
By Tim Tochukwu

Nnamdi Kanu

Part of the discussions going on amongst Biafrans at the moment has to do with the pressures being exerted on Nnamdi Kanu, leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and Director of Radio Biafra, to compromise the Biafran struggle. The Biafrans had become aware of the report of endless stream of visitors – prominent Northern Nigerians – visiting Kanu in detention with the sole purpose of making him to jettison the struggle for Biafra’s independence. They have been visiting him with juicy offer, of positions in government and money. The people were well informed on how Kanu had bluntly refused all the offers. Without doubt, it was good news that he turned down the offers. That should also be good news to his numerous followers who have followed him on his agitation train as a result of his constant promises that he would never accept bribe from Nigeria to jettison the struggle.

At a time, Kanu made it a point to duty to pray on air, asking God to strike him dead any time he contemplated selling-out on the struggle. Notwithstanding, as things are now, one simple answer Kanu must give to those trying to lure him away from the struggle with pecuniary offers, should be akin to that Nelson Mandela gave to the apartheid regime in South Africa. It is worldwide knowledge that every time the South African government reached out to Mandela, to negotiate with him in prison, he has always told them that he would not negotiate in chains. Kanu should do same. He should tell the Nigerians that he would not negotiate with them behind bars. While Kanu is doing that, he should also remind himself some of the things he told Biafrans on air, one of which is from history that every Biafran that had aligned with Nigeria against Biafra always came back disgraced or out-rightly killed. This should keep him focused and make him stand stronger for Biafra. The IPOB leader should also remind himself of Biafrans who had done so and paid dearly for it.

For instance, there was the case of Nnamdi Azikiwe, a colossus and former Nigerian (ceremonial) President who was reduced from the towering stature of the great “Zik of Africa” to an insignificant appellation of “Owelle of Onitsha”. He should remember Chuba Okadigbo, who thought Nigerians were sane enough to recognize academic excellence and brilliance, only to be gassed to death by Nigerian authorities in a street in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. Now, more than ever before, Kanu must not fail to remember Alex Ekwueme, another Biafran who served Nigeria diligently as Vice President and was corrupt-free. But after the coup d’état that ousted their regime, he was humiliated by being dumped in Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison in Lagos, while Shehu Shagari, who was the president, was allowed to go home without molestation. What about Goodluck Jonathan, the naïve and uniformed adult who knew nothing about his heritage. Jonathan spent his life learning how to serve Nigeria diligently, but not about his people; how to uplift Nigeria, but not how to uplift his people. He never spent time to think about Nigeria and its evils against his own people – Biafran people.

Nnamdi Kanu Praying

It was not a surprise that he headed a government that gave award to people who violently and insolently colonized his people. He became the president and came out disgraced, even when he was the best of all Nigeria had ever got as president in terms of forward planning and execution for future development. In spite of that, he achieved nothing for his Biafran people and came out condemned and discredited. Kanu should remember Ken Saro Nwiwa, the one who was so greedy and in a hurry to sail out his own people, having been offered a “commissioner” position at the age of 19/20. He, as a result, rejected his own and chose to serve foreigners against his own people. He stood for the dispossession of his own people just for some momentary rewards and pleasures. Unfortunately for him, when reality dawned on him and he wanted to retrace his steps and revert to service to his people, it was those foreigners that eventually murdered him through a judicial murder acknowledged worldwide.

Kanu should also remember that it was Nigerians who killed Isaac Adaka Boro who aligned with the marauding Nigerian soldiers during the Biafra/Nigeria war. He made the mistake of believing that the Nigerian vandals had a better heart to grant his people autonomy more than his own people who worked for the autonomy of the Midwestern Region. He showed the way to enter Igweocha (Port Harcourt) through the creeks. After the war, it was these same Nigerian vandals that shot him from behind and killed him. Knowing how fiery he was as an agitator, and that he would give them hell whenever he realized that they tricked him. Kanu should think of Lebanya Uwazuruike, the one they call Ralph Uwazuruike; the one that had all the prospects of becoming great as a peaceful agitator, but sold-out to greed. He lost it all because he took his eyes of the big picture of Biafra to gaze at the fleeting gains of a rotten Nigeria.

He could not see that Nigeria was gradually slipping into oblivion. Today he is an empty soul walking around and seeking succor because Biafra has rejected him and Nigeria has also rejected him. With these few reasons above, Nnamdi Kanu must not allow any fleeting thought of betraying the struggle stick to his mind, no matter what they offer him. He must resist the lure of Nigeria as Arnold Schwarzenegger resisted the anti-Christ in the movie “End of Days”. Nnamdi Kanu, you must be strong for Biafra, the reward is better.