Now that Kanu is out

By Joseph Edgar…

The Biafra champion is out and promptly five people have died, I sincerely hope he will not immediately catch a flight back to his UK base to resume armchair activism while the flames of rebellion that he has reignited continue to consume otherwise innocent but misguided elements that have foolishly joined this empty project.

As for the Federal Government, arresting and prosecuting him was making him a martyr in the eyes of all those who foolishly looked up to him as the messiah of the Igbo people. Now that reason has prevailed more strategic and mature policies should be employed to gradually push him back into obscurity.

The average Igbo person is in no way interested in this childish crusade. The educated Igbo person can see through this facade which to me remains a wobbly platform erected by Kanu and his ilk to gain prominence and from there get their own share of influence they feel they deserve. The question here will be, does the average South Easterner see Biafra as the solution to all his problems in Nigeria?. Will Biafra automatically create full employment for all Igbo people, will it generate infrastructural development and shore up the appalling literacy levels , I think not. I believe even the Igbo man is not fooled.

I read somewhere that some elements went to the Statue of the late Ikemba. Ikemba was one of my heroes simply because he won the hands of delectable and sultry Bianca Onoh and it ends there. Here, let me make some controversial statements, he led us into an avoidable 30month putch driven by ego and nothing else. As a student of history, I have gone through all the books and have come to that conclusion that the burning ambition to be the ‘Leader’ drove that movement and when it failed, what happened to the leader, he ran into exile with his beautiful wife, came back thirteen years later to contest election in a country he did not believe in.

Today, his descendants have jumped on his bandwagon and thriving on the misleading euphoria of misconception begin once again to fan the embers of rebellion, taking advantage of deep seated frustrations which I must say is the bane of all Nigerians to begin to lead gullible and poor people to their untimely deaths.

For me, the Federal Government while continuing to protect life and property should largely ignore this character and allow civil society with debates, opinion pieces, public opinion polls and public education challenge him. Put this man on stage with some erudite scholars and you will see how his pedestrian arguments will fall flat in the face of strong and factual suppositions.

We cannot continue to fight force with force. Does not make sense and can never make sense. Force will only lead to blood letting, creating pity and emotional blackmail which is what these traducers are expecting and thriving on.

A series of public rallies should immediately be organized where opinions from both sides of the debate be allowed to fully flow so that the hollowness of this movement will be exposed.

Please Government leave Kanu alone. Treat him the way villagers in Nollywood Movies treat the village drunk- with disdain .

This is my two pence.

RipplesNigeria …without borders, without fears

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