Nnamdi Kanu’s Persecution And The Need To Admit The Futility Of Nigeria’s Unity Clamour

Nnamdi Kanu’s Persecution And The Need To Admit The Futility Of Nigeria’s Unity Clamour It has been over 60 years since Britain granted Nige...

Nnamdi Kanu’s Persecution And The Need To Admit The Futility Of Nigeria’s Unity Clamour

It has been over 60 years since Britain granted Nigeria quasi-independence, thereby handing instructions from the shadows to what was once called the Royal Niger Company. Regrettably, these 60 years have become synonymous to deep tribal and religious fissure wrapped under a forced unity. A unity that indulges political correctness than reality. A good example of the futility of Nigeria’s unity is the current continued persecution of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. 

The current travail of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), once again, exposes the cosmetic unity propagated by the Nigerian state. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is a political prisoner whose ordeal is not just a personal tragedy that reflects a more worrisome attribute of a country living in denial, but a collective suppression of the people whose voices he represents. A troubling brand of unity from a crumbling country refusing to admit that it has fundamental contradictions that require urgent salvation.

While Stockholm syndrome is terribly unwanted, it is a real pandemic amongst Nigerians at the corridors of power programmed to enable neocolonial chains while ferociously attacking any attempt at breaking it. Nnamdi Kanu’s arrest, extraordinary rendition, and prolonged detention, in total violation of both domestic and international laws, is a pathetic revelation of a government desperately eager to suppress dissent rather than address the legitimate grievances of marginalized groups. 

Those superfluously inclined to play ostrich or to the gallery can pretend that he is a rebel and, of course, we can have that healthy conversation of whether or not he was bold in his demands. Indeed, he is courageously bold and spoke truth to power at the detriment of his personal safety; his sensitization and awareness resonates with millions that felt that Nigeria was unfair, oppressive, and insensitive to their plights. A collection of aggrieved people that feel no patriotic attachment to Nigeria because they have come to the undeniable conclusion that Nigeria was crafted, without their contribution, to work against them.

It is crystal clear that the collated and pooled efforts to silence Mazi Nnamdi Kanu have become a total waste of precious time and energy. Perhaps, now is the time for those on such frivolity and misadventure to accept a simple truth: forced unity is no unity and Nigeria was not founded on shared value system, trust and collective aspiration. 

Instead, Nigeria is a country that values the life of a cow than that of a human being, vehemently rejects a different political opinion through coercion, fear, and violence. This naked use of brute force only deepens divisions, fosters resentment, and strengthens the resolve of separatist movements. Surely, Nigeria may elongate the political persecution of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, but it cannot win the battle for hearts and minds through force.

It is not enough to chant or shout meaningless “unity” devoid of any real effort at addressing the problems threatening the harmonious coexistence of the indigenous population. In truth, it is not that the indigenous people of Nigeria do not want to coexist, it is rather due to the ineffectual ability of the imposed political leaders to unite Nigerians. It is, therefore, safe to assert that the idea of a united Nigeria has become patently hollow and unachievable. It is, rather, a wishful fantasy that ignores the ethnic complexities, unaddressed historical injustices, lopsided economic and political policies that reeks of intentional inequalities.

If there has ever been a time, now is that time, the time to finally admit it. It has to be resoundingly stated without equivocation that slogans are not enough to declare unity, neither can unity be enforced through the barrel or bullets. Patriotic unity comes through tolerance of different political opinions, it is voluntary and earned by ensuring justice, mutual respect and allowing different people to determine their political destinies. Until Nigeria acknowledges the futility of its unity project in its current form, it will remain trapped in a cycle of rebellion, repression, and unrest.

There is no wisdom in the thinking that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s persecution will guarantee Nigeria’s stability; it is a foolery parroted by a political gang sponsored to implement a Foreign Policy Strategy of the imperialists that see Nigeria, in particular, and Africa, in general, as a hub of raw material extraction. The call for self-determination is not a crime; it is a demand for dignity, recognition, and true freedom. The sooner Nigeria recognizes this, the better the chances for a peaceful, negotiated future — even if that future means accepting that the union, as it stands, may no longer be viable.

Family Writers Press International