(Nnamdi Kanu: ... leader of Indigenous People of Biafra and freedom broadcaster, Radio Biafra)
Femi Fani-Kayode
IN MY ESSAY, “Head bloodied but not bowed and the ascension of President-elect Donald
J Trump – part I” (The Trent, Wednesday 16 November 2016), I wrote: “When I went to visit the great and brilliant freedom
fighter, Nnamdi Kanu, who is the leader of IPOB and easily the most courageous,
powerful and credible Igbo leader in Nigeria today in his cell, we had a very
instructive and long discussion.
“I had
never met Nnamdi before and I was amazed at his depth of knowledge, his immense
courage and his deep convictions.
“There
is no doubt in my mind that that man is going places and in him the Igbo have
an Ojukwu and a Nnamdi Azikiwe all rolled into one. He is destined for greatness...”
Apparently
my words have created quite a stir amongst those who believe that Mazi Nnamdi
Kanu cannot be mentioned in the same breath as Azikiwe or Ojukwu, both of whom,
in my view, are also great men.
Yet despite their reservations, I believe that we must give honour to whom it is
due. Consequently I have no regrets for what I have said.
Those
that are upset at the fact that I spoke highly of the IPOB leader are misguided
and, worse still, they lack vision, foresight and insight.
They
not only lack the ability to perceive individuals and events accurately but
they also lack the gift of discernment. They may see the man but they cannot
assess or recognise the spirit that is in him and that motivates him.
Worst
of all they are suffering from good old fashioned envy and they have been
afflicted with the worst form of ignorance.
Most
of them have never even met Nnamdi Kanu let alone know him. I sat next to him
for three solid hours in the most challenging and difficult circumstances.
We
discussed our respective views about Nigeria, our collective history, the
suffering and marginalisation of our respective people, the … war, the
reptilian and violent nature of the Nigerian state, the present dispensation,
the Buhari government and the way forward.
I have
associated with, met and worked with many men of influence and power since I
entered the combustible fray of politics thirty years ago but this one was
different.
This
was a man that had what I would describe as a Mahatma Ghandi-like quality. That
is to say he is one that is prepared to sacrifice everything and anything for
his beliefs, his people and his cause.
Like
the great Scottish freedom fighter William Wallace I have no doubt that if he
deemed it necessary he would go as far as to sacrifice his very life in the
struggle for freedom and independence for his Igbo people from the Nigerian
state and from our internal colonial masters and for the establishment of his
beloved Biafra.
Not
all may agree with him on that course but they must respect his determination,
passion and courage.
Very
few Nigerian leaders have that level of selflessness and commitment to any
cause and, simply put, I admire it.
I
looked deeply into his eyes as we spoke and I touched and weighed his soul.
I can
tell you, without any fear of contradiction, that he is a profoundly good man
who loves his Igbo people deeply.
He is
also well-educated and widely-read and he is a formidable intellectual.
We may
not have agreed on everything but I can tell you this much: we share an aversion
to the spread of radical Islam and terror in Nigeria and indeed throughout the
world.
We
also share deep concerns about the oppression of our people by the state, the
vicious persecution and desperate attempt to silence all the voices of the
opposition in our country, the marginalisation and suppression of the good
people and ethnic nationalities of the south and the Middle Belt, the
implementation of a plainly racist and apartheid-like agenda by our government,
the regular and consistent practice of genocide by our security forces, the
rise in power and increasing callousness and brutality of the Fulani militias
and herdsmen in our midst, the not so hidden agenda to Islamise our nation and
violate the secularity of our state, the violation of court orders, the brazen
intimidation of the Judiciary and the resort to the most barbarous and hideous
form of gestapo tactics, tyranny and human rights abuses by the Buhari
administration.
I can
also tell you that he feels and shares the pain of the Igbo and he yearns for
their liberation and emancipation from an increasingly hostile and oppressive
Nigerian state.
He is
not a politician in the true sense of the word but rather a freedom fighter and
a charismatic leader who has managed to inspire millions of Igbo youth all over
the world to once again have faith in themselves and their collective cause and
aspirations. In my view that is a good thing.
I can
also tell you this: he is a man of great faith and conviction and his rise to
prominence is not ordinary but instead prophetic.
He
cannot be destroyed or silenced by any government or man born of woman because
the Lord is with him and He is using him. He is using him to say and do the
things that many believe but that are too scared to say or do.
Other
leaders have had their time in the past and now this is his. He is paying a
very heavy price right now for what God will use him for in the future.
I
recognise that fact and I sincerely hope and pray that his Igbo people will
come to appreciate him and do so as well.
Very
few leaders can or would be willing to take the pain and make the kind of
sacrifice that this man is making today.
I am a
very cautious and circumspect person and it takes me a while to warm to people
or for them to win my confidence. Yet this case was different.
Nnamdi
and I, rather like Che Guevera and Fidel Castro at the beginning of the Cuban
revolution, connected immediately and he won my trust, respect and admiration.
If
there is anyone that can truly build the much needed bridge between the
south-west, the south-south and the south-east it is Nnamdi Kanu.
This
is because he is pragmatic and sincere. It is because he is respectful and
accommodating of alternative points of view and dissenting opinions and he
speaks from a position of knowledge and strength. It is because he is very
proud of his Igbo heritage and he would never betray his people or prostitute
his principles.
The
truth is that he is not just a combination of Owelle Nnamdi Azikwe and Dim
Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu: he is a combination of Azikwe, Ojukwu AND Major Kaduna
Nzeogwu all rolled into one.
The
fire of revolution and the yearning for fundamental and equitable change burns
in his blood and resides in his bones.
He has
spoken up for, defended and fought for the preservation and dignity of his
people just as those other three leaders did in the past at different times in
our history.
He
also serves as a rallying point for Igbo nationalism, the fight for
self-determination of the people of the east and the establishment of the
sovereign state of Biafra.
His
love, remarkable courage and sheer passion for his people and their cause is
boundless and unfathomable.
The
Igbo is blessed to have him as one of the most respected and revered leaders in
our entire history as a nation.
They
would do well to appreciate him more, pray for him, stand up for him, line up
behind him and insist that the government honors the numerous court orders that
have granted him bail and release him from prison.
Why?
Because he bleeds and suffers for their collective cause and he is sacrificing
all to … lift their pain.
What a
man he is. What a mighty spirit. What a beautiful soul. What a braveheart.
(Femi Fani-Kayode:... meets Nnamdi Kanu, Kuje prisons, Abuja, Nigeria: “[Nnamdi Kanu] is ... well-educated and widely-read and ... formidable intellectual)
