IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu
Following his clash with the government, IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu has become many things to different people.
Love or loathe him, Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the indigenous
people of Biafra has gained himself a considerable political mileage in
the south-eastern part of the country since his grandiose release from
prison.
Since resurrecting the Biafra spirit, Kanu and his separatist
agitators have been a thorn in the flesh of the government who strongly
opposed ideas capable of causing the balkanization of Nigeria.
Obviously, his separatist adventures gave impetus to the renewed call
for restructuring after the move was unceremoniously thrown out of the
National Assembly by lawmakers who are not in sync with the needs and
aspirations of the masses.
Prior to October 14 2015, the name Kanu had an unfamiliar tone many
people did not recognise and cared less about. But, the government of
President Muhammadu Buhari through a combination of political immaturity
and overzealous desire to gag him inadvertently thrust him into
political limelight by incarcerating him for 2 years, thus giving him an
undeserving political relevance and national prominence.
Many from his ethnic group saw his arrest as a continuation of
Buhari’s personal vendetta against south-easterners especially after the
President had immaturely exposed his divisive mindset during a speech
at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) on July 22nd when he
openly said he would treat those who voted him into power differently
from those who didn't vote for him.
“I hope you have a copy of the election results. The
constituents, for example, gave me 97% [of the vote] cannot in all
honesty be treated on some issues with constituencies that gave me 5%.
“I think these are political reality,” Buhari goofed.
As a result, Kanu's arrest on the 14th of October 2015, instead of
being seen as a positive step taken by the government to tackle a loose
canon, his arrest was perceived as a political fight against the Igbos,
thus heightening tension in the country with thousands of his followers
demonstrating for nearly two years forcing the government to release
him.
The once unknown Kanu before our very before metamorphosed into a
regional leader so powerful that his words were followed religiously.
Many of his followers kowtowed in reverence before their hero - the man
who resurrected the spirit of Biafra like never before since the days of
Odumegwu Ojukwu.
To the government of Buhari, Kanu was an unrepentant villian
desperately horny for attention. He was seen as a loud mouth, a
propagator of hate speech and nothing from his mouth was worth listening
to as far as it would mean dividing the country. The All Progressives
Congress-led government did not for once stop to consider what could
have renewed the call for Biafra.
While passing Kanu off as another divisive tool by the opposition
to derail its government, the APC-led government failed to see how its
policies and failure to run an all-inclusive government brought division
among the ethnic groups in the country - and not to talk of its failure
to keep to its campaign promises. Buhari unlike any other Nigerian
President was insensitive to Nigeria's diversity and constitution when
he unwittingly filled his cabinet with his northern kinsmen to the
disadvantage of other ethnic groups especially the south-east.
Not just that, he did far worse things.
The three presidents before Buhari (Olusegun Obasanjo, Musa
Yar'Adua and Goodluck Jonathan) ran an all-inclusive government where
the ethnic groups were represented well in government. Buhari touted as
an ethnic bigot did the opposite. For instance, the country's six
service chiefs are made up of four northerners, then one each from west
and south-south respectively. Conspicuously, no military man of igbo
extraction (south-east) was worthy to be given a relevant position by
Buhari.
The names of the service chiefs are: Major-General Abayomi Gabriel
Olonishakin as Chief of Defence Staff (west); Major-General T.Y.
Buratai as Chief of Army Staff (north); Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas
as Chief of Naval Staff (south-south); Air Vice Marshal Sadique Abubakar
as Chief of Air Staff (north); Air Vice Marshal Mohammed Saliu Usman as
Chief of Defence Intelligence (north) and Retired Major-General
Babagana Monguno as National Security Adviser (north).
The north holds the leadership positions of the National Security
Adviser, Inspector-General of Police, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Air
Staff, Chief of Defence Intelligence, National security adviser,
Director-General of State Security Services, Comptroller-General of
Nigerian Customs Service, Comptroller-General of Nigerian Immigration
Service, Chairmanship of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
etc.
By this act, President Buhari showed himself not just as a nepotic
fellow but ranks number one as Nigeria's most divisive president who
flagrantly neglected the constitution's federal character principle in
section 14 (3) of the 1999 constitution to pursue his own ethnic agenda.
His policies instead of uniting Nigerians have become tools sparking
separatist agitations.
Buhari's ministerial and non-ministerial list set the tone for his
nepotic overtures with northerners in clear majority leaving people from
other ethnic groups to wonder if they are still part of the country.
People from other ethnic groups were considered 'not-good-enough' as
Buhari continued his nepotic agenda.
Just some weeks back, there was an uproar when it was discovered
that recent appointments into top management positions at the
country-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation was dominated by
northerners.
Out of the 15 new directors, 10 (67 percent) came from the mostly
Hausa-Fulani North; three Yorubas; two from the South-South. But none
from the South-East.
Many wondered why the north should have 10 top directors out of 15
newly appointed directors when they contribute not even a drop of oil at
the detriment of the people from whose region the oil is gotten. The
divisive nature of Buhari’s appointments have shown his inability to
comprehend the dynamics of nation-building. Sadly, Buhari is the only
President I know in Nigeria's regrettable history who is desperately
convinced in his mind that people from his own region are superior to
others from the other ethnic groups considering the manner he is going
with his appointments. The reason for such shallow thinking is unknown.
The government's inability and excuses not to tackle the horror and
nightmare visited upon Nigerians by dreaded Fulani herdsmen who invade
villages raping, maiming and killing innocent people is a betray too
many.
While the herdsmen are given preferential treatment and all manner
of excuses made up for them, victims of the massacre are left to count
their loss. The sluggish approach by government to tackle these herdsmen
who go about with AK47 machine guns and other dangerous weapons is a
serious indictment on Buhari who many believe is afraid to call his
Fulani brothers to order. The slaughter of innocent villagers in Agatu,
Ekiti, Imo, Enugu, Anambra and other states in the country with the
government staring aimlessly at the bereaved families is totally
regrettable.
How do you expect to have a united country when laws are applied to
a particular group while another group can flout it without
consequences simply because they are the President's kinsmen?
Recently, a video showing soldiers forcing IPOB members to swim in
dirty mud water - something clearly against the rules of engagement -
has since been thrown into the archives with the military busy issuing
irrelevant statements like a radio station. The conduct of the
government, its arms and agencies have reflected negatively in drumming
home the idea of a united Nigeria.
Frankly, the methods adopted by Kanu (hate speech, violence and
blocking of roads) to drive home his points are faulty. There is need to
restrategize to avoid loss of innocent lives. It is true that Biafra is
a spirit and no matter how many Kanus are killed, a million of him will
emerge so far as the people are marginalized as has been the case with
Buhari’s administration. It is very important that the agitation follow
constitutional means via a referendum.
The government must know that trying to force Igbos to be a part of
Nigeria by FORCE and the senseless use of the army to shed innocent
blood will only fill the hearts of the people from the region with deep
hatred that will one day bring the nation to its knees. You do not kill a
people agitating for their right, label them terrorists in a bid to
commit wanton atrocities and expect them to keep shut. One day, the
victims will rise against the oppressor in a far more brutal way. That
is why dialogue and not force is the best formula used in settling
political differences. Unlike the latter, the former does not drink
unnecessary blood.
No matter what you make of Kanu and his IPOB members, Nigerians
must tell themselves the truth: the agitation in the different parts of
Nigeria is because of a systematic failure of governance. The political
elite since independence have profited from the country's resources at
the detriment of the masses. From North, West to the East and South, it
has been the same shameful story of corruption, maladministration and
massive looting of our resources. The uprising we see today happen
because of disenchantment from the masses, lack of infrastructural
development, bad leadership and abuse of power. The people are tired of
being used as pawns.
In fact, the political elite have so divided Nigerians with their
inefficiency, corrupt mind and harebrained policies that for the past 57
years, it has been disaster all through.
For 57 sad years now, Nigerians have never had the privilege of
enjoying steady power supply for straight 3 days. Never! While the
political class buy the latest generating set for uninterrupted power
supply, the masses sleep in mosquito-infested rooms dying of heat. After
seeing all these, why will people not agitate? Nigeria is a mess and we
all are drowning in it. A rubbish country dominated by a shameless
political class. A country where most political office holders are
indicted and even found guilty of stealing money meant for
infrastructural development, yet such idiotic individuals have the guts
to front themselves in public spaces looking for political relevance.
The call by Buhari that Nigeria's unity is sacrosanct is not out of
love but because of the oil from the south which has sustained states
in the country for years. If Nigeria must remain as one, then the
government must as a matter of urgency consider calls for restructuring
of the country which has gained positive momentum. The backwardness of
the country cannot be detached from this pseudo-federalism we are
practicing. There is need for economic empowerment of states to control
their own resources and use it in providing the much needed dividends
for the people. The time to restructure the country is now to avoid
terrible consequences in the future.
The government must be made to understand that by sending armed
soldiers to kill IPOB members after labeling them terrorists, it is
preparing the ground for a more rebellious agitation that might not be
peaceful. That could be a precursor to more damning consequences to come
should peace and dialogue not be followed.
To the average south-easterner, Nnamdi Kanu is a hero - the man who
could not watch while the cowardly leaders of the region sat akimbo
while the south is marginalized by a nepotic President. Even though the
tactics he employed are crude, Kanu has resurrected the consciousness of
his people to the fact that they are also stakeholders in the country
called Nigeria.
Alexander Thandi Ubani
He writes from Lagos.
thandiubani@yahoo.com
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