By Charles Ogbu
Oh, Nnamdi Nwannekaenyi Okwu Kenny Kanu, you saw Nigeria for the unworkable entity it has always been. You went to the UK to read political economics purposely to enable you understand why Nigeria was/is not working. After careful examination undertaken with the exactitude of a Jewish prophet, you arrived at the conclusion that the country called Nigeria is UNSALVAGEABLE.
In the dying months of last year when I visited you, I had asked you why you think nothing but outright dissolution would solve Nigeria’s problem. After a prolonged silence as though you weren’t gonna answer, you responded thus:
“Charles my brother, when you notice that the foundation of your house is faulty, the only reasonable amendment to the house is demolition. Anything outside of this is simply postponing the dooms day. The different peoples of Nigeria do not have a common value system, not a common language, not culture, not even religion nor ancestry. Their worldviews are world apart. While one group takes great pleasure in killing, maiming and enslaving others, the other group has enormous respect for the sanctity of human lives. We are of a different civilization. The British brought us together solely for administrative and economic convenience, not for our own benefit. The 1914 amalgamation shouldn’t have happened. And by the way Charles, we are not saying Nigeria should be dissolved. We only want to restore Biafra which was in existence before Nigeria. We just want to be free because we are not free”
To which I responded with a question,
“But what if Nigeria is restructured, do you not think it will solve these problem?”
To this, you rhetorically asked me:
“If you restructure, who will control your armed forces if not the Fulani’s? Do you even think the Fulani’s will willingly give up their undeserved advantage by agreeing to restructuring?”
After back and forth between us, you told me that when the Fulani’s are done with Christians in Nigeria, everyone would understand that apart from total balkanization, nothing else will work for Nigeria”
We spent three hours together, after which I left with my team.
Few weeks later, the Caliphate controlled Govt came for your head. Ironically, ordinary Nigerians who were at the receiving end of the moral tragedy that is Nigeria, hailed your oppressor who happen to be their oppressor too even if they would never realise this.
Out of their collective hate-induced foolishness, they got fixated on your method rather than choosing their own struggle and focusing on it,
With a mind ravaged by poverty of history, they swore that you were the greatest threat facing this British experiment. Crucify him! Crucify him! rented the air.
Today, you are no longer standing in their way. Yet, their problem has increased. The Fulani herdsmen no longer just kill with reckless abandon. Uniformed soldiers now aide them in the festival of blood.
The horde of phenomenal pro-Status-quo bomboklats who hid under Restructuring to scuttle your agitation have suddenly lost their tongue.
As I type this, none of the peudo-restructurists have been able to tell us how they intend to get restructuring in the face of Northern resistance.
One fantastic truth about the truth is that while a lie need mountain of other lies to defend and sustain it, the truth doesn’t need anyone to defend it.
It stands on its own like a bright moon and no matter how much you tried to cover it, it keeps refusing to be covered.
From your struggle, I learnt one horrible truth about man and slavery:
Stockholm syndrome is not an abstract word.
Rescuing a slave who is oblivious of his slavery status is the most difficult task in the world. Chances are, he will join the slave master in treating you as the enemy.
Harriet Tubman comes to mind with her words on marble:
“I freed a thousand slaves. I could have freed a thousand more, if only they knew they were slaves”
My dearest Kanu, the justness of your fight has never been in doubt. Repeatedly, you have been vindicated.
Indeed, Nigeria is beyond redemption!
May the spirits always guard and guide you. Neither gods nor man will take your place in my heart.
Wherever you are, History will look upon you with Kindness.
The bravest and handsomest of them all!
