BIAFRA: NNAMDI KANU IS NOT A GOD

January 30, 2019

By Agha Egwu

President John F. Kennedy said, “Do not ask what your country can do for you, ask for what you can do for your country.”  It was an institutional shift of thinking in America.  Instead of sitting down with their hands under their bottoms, bemoaning the government and the fates, as they do in Nigeria, Americans were asked to stop looking at the government to provide for them, but to help their government and their President to provide for them.

On a recent trip to Israel, with Colonel Nwobosi, to do a broadcast on Radio Biafra in Israel, to begin the process of releasing his new, powerful book, 1966 The Dark Truth, I had the pleasure of meeting Nnamdi Kanu.

Colonel Nwobosi and myself had been listening to this thunderous voice coming from the studios of Radio Biafra, Israel.  When he finally came out, I was surprised.  I did not see a lion.  I did not see a colossus.  I did not see a god.  I just saw a man, a very simple man, free with ordinary people and he carried no airs at all.  As I tried to control myself from hero worshipping this man, a refrain started singing in my head:

Nnamdi Kanu is not a god
I cannot call him my Lord
Because I am never a slave
I am a loyal Biafran brave

We had been rehearsing how to hail him, but when he came out words failed us.  He came over to us.  Colonel Nwobosi, a tottering old man tried to rise to embrace him.  He held him back, then embraced him, called him “nna anyi” then helped to lift him up.  I am a rather sick old man myself.  Nnamdi saw me struggling with my walking stick to get up, he moved and offered his arm, and leaning on his arm I stood up.  Then he walked us to the vehicle that was waiting.

It was not the car I had expected.  I expected a luxurious vehicle, but it was just an ordinary car.  Ohamadike opened the doors for us the tottering old men, then went and sat on the other side of the back seat, not in the owner’s corner.  No airs.  He took us to the hotel where he was staying for the night.  It was not my usual standard of hotel chains like Best Western.  It was a simple, clean functional guest house.  I thought, is this the man they say is squandering IPOB money?  Yet, I controlled myself from hero worshipping him as the refrain kept ringing in my head:

Nnamdi Kanu is not a god
I cannot call him my Lord
Am not a Fulani Empire Vassal
My leaders are not Feudal

He took us to his room.  I, a perfect stranger, yet he welcomed me so completely.  For a moment, he became a human and revealed so much that made him human and not a god.  Then suddenly, he snapped out of his momentary lapse, and became Ohamadike again: efficient, bustling with energy and inner power, giving orders, mobilizing and running a global empire through his phone.  I felt a sudden pride that this man opened up to me, and I had the privilege of a rare insight into his fears and the demons he has to fight every day to do what he does.

Then he did something that really touched me deep.  He said this is my room.  You can use it for tonight.  I will go and arrange a room for colonel.  Understand this: Ohamadike had just offered me his room.  He gave it up for me.  I stopped thinking about fancy hotels.  I thought, if Ohamadike can sleep in this low grade hotel to save money for the movement, I too can sleep in it. He was serving us personally, because we were elders, whilst running a world-wide organization, calling and answering to IPOB in different countries across the globe.  The desire to hero worship was getting stronger yet my refrain sang in my head:

Nnamdi Kanu is not a god
I cannot call him my Lord
Am not an Oyo Empire courtesan
That prostrates before a man

The next day he took us to a religious community where he seeks spiritual solace to draw the strength to do what he does. It was a very peaceful place. There was an Igbo Jew in the community he appointed to look after us.  Through the window he pointed to the mountains where he said the ancestry of Igbo Jewry began.  For him Eri and Eroli were not a theory, but a living fact of Igbo ancestry from Jacob, Gad, Eri to Eroli.  The Igbo Jew told us, members of the community were aware of Igbo Jewry but were waiting for them to wake up to their heritage by turning away from false gods.

One very little incident happened here that let me look deep into the soul of this man.  I knocked down some candle holders.  He reacted immediately.  “Did your drugs fall?”  He asked.  He was more concerned for me than for his broken furniture.  I knew then, without doubt that this was a true humane leader.  He was totally different from the callous Nigerian mould.  This was the kind of leader we need to start a great, new nation Biafra.  He was breeding a generation of young fearless people with positive moral values to overthrow evil and clean ambitions to build an African Israel, but was I hero worshipping him?  The refrain kept singing in my head:

Nnamdi Kanu is not a god
I cannot call him my Lord
Am not a Bini Empire slave
I do not kneel and crave

From a religious lecture, I heard him encouraging the American IPOB family to raise more money so things could be done.  They were running a shoe string operation.  I remembered how difficult it was for me and Colonel Nwobosi to arrive in Israel.  How members of the British family contributed to send us to Israel and members of the Israeli family then took over.  They all did their very best and truly honoured Colonel Nwobosi, probably the last of the great Biafran warlords: Ojukwu, Nzeogwu, Effiong, Madebo, Onwuatuegwu…

I was thinking, how did this man, Kanu, run this enormous organization with such little funds.  What about all those lies by Liar Mohammed that France was funding them?  I could not believe what I was seeing.  Was this man, this clean hearted harmless man, the monster that frightened them so much, they locked him in prison for two years then created Operation Python Dance to fight him?  Why was I succumbing to this hero worshipping again!  The refrain kept running in my head:

Nnamdi Kanu is not a god
I cannot call him my Lord
Surrounded we were by Kings
Yet democratic in village settings

That phrase kept hammering in my head.  What John F. Kennedy said.  Do not think of what your country can do for you, think of what you can do for your country.  I just realized we were in a total psychological mess.  We were looking to Kanu to do everything for us.  We were not even thinking of what we could do for our country.  Then, I altered the phrase in my head:  “What about what we do for Kanu?”

Let me put the picture right.  This was an innocent, unarmed man, for which Nigeria thought it fit to send a whole army as Python Dancers to fight him. They destroyed their homes.  They destroyed their vehicles.  They destroyed everything.  Killed their people, even their dog!  Froze their bank accounts.  Somehow, all of us are just crazy.  We are there expecting him to perform incredible wonders, when he is not a god, when he is just an ordinary man.  Am I making myself clear?  Am I hero-worshipping too much, but the refrain kept singing in my head:

Nnamdi Kanu is not a god
I cannot call him my Lord
We hail those that rule us
They deserve to be boss

Kanu will give us referendum.  Who is paying for it?  Kanu will give us Biafra, who is paying for it?  Kanu will see all the parliaments of the world.  Who is paying for it?  Do not ask what Kanu will do for you. What have you done for Kanu?  Since Python Dance burnt his father’s house have you asked where he lives?  Since all their cars where destroyed have you asked what car they are driving?  Since all their businesses were destroyed have you asked how they are surviving?  Since all their bank accounts were frozen have you asked how they feed?

At this point I began to regret my old age. If it was in my youth, the first thing I would do is go and get Kanu a befitting car. I know he will reject it, so people will not say he is abusing his position, but at least I will leave it there.  I know that one day he will climb into it.  Members of churches sometimes do such things for their pastors. But really am I hero-worshipping him?  The refrain keeps singing:

Nnamdi Kanu is not a god
I cannot call him my Lord
We honour people of candour
Reputed for their valour

I know he is not a god, but it is time to say thank you to Ohamadike.  It is time to stop expecting as if manna will fall from heaven and not give back.  We cannot get Biafra by just expecting Kanu to solve all the problems like a magician.  You cannot expect a man to give you the best, when you are not giving him the funds and tools to give you his best.  Kanu should not be worrying about raising funds.  We all should be doing it for him so he can concentrate on what he does best – mobilising us to actualize Biafra.

Colonel Nwobosi, who is a very experienced military administrator, as Ojukwu’s Director of Operations, understood the herculean task that Kanu is facing and we included a very powerful line in his January 15 broadcast.  To quote:

“However, it is money that makes things work. I shall donate 10% of all the profits of my new book to IPOB. It is my tithe to freedom. Tithing is God’s tax to raise money for the Government of the Children of God.  I urge you all to regularly do the same so we can have the resources to achieve our objectives.”

I have chosen to write this to open a discussion.  Since Python Dance scattered Nnamdi Kanu’s House and sent them away what have you done for them?  If you wish to do anything, write to the Family Writers and to The Biafra Restoration Voice - TBRV, and tell them what you want to do, and they will direct you through who and how you can personally say thank you to Ohamadike.  Expect him to reject it, but do so anyway.  If he does not want it let him donate it to IPOB.

Let us listen to Colonel Nwobosi and open up a discussion on giving 10% of our resources to ensure that Biafra comes into being.  Let us become more practical and more serious.  Freedom fighting is not a joke.  Kanu has given everything.  Can we emulate him?  Our fathers gave so much for Biafra in 1967-1970, yet they failed because they did not have enough funds.  We cannot fight this war without funds and if we cannot tax ourselves to achieve our freedom, then we are not serious.  Kanu is a good man.  He is not the kind of leader that will abuse our resources for his personal gain.  I have seen it myself.

From now on, like Colonel Nwobosi, I will donate 10% of all my earnings to the Biafra cause.  Who will join us?  Step out from the crowd.  We have to persuade the leaders of IPOB to accept this new proposal, so there must be support from the grass roots before they will even consider it.

I have written everything here on my own. I did not refer it to Ohamadike or to any of the leaders, so they will not have a chance to say no.  They may be angry with me, but they know we need the money to actualize our dreams.

For the few days I was with Kanu, I was watching him and thinking of his non-violent approach, I was thinking of Mahatma Gandhi, of Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela.  Nigeria has bad leaders like Buhari, a mass murderer and Atiku, a serial briber and our young people are being asked to defend these two evils.  They are calling them bigger and lesser evil.  But we Biafrans are so lucky that we have a man with a pure and formidable heart to lead us.  A man who said we cannot choose between two evils.  We must overthrow evil.  We must continue.

Nnamdi Kanu is not a god
I cannot call him my Lord
Because I am never a slave
I am a loyal Biafran brave
Am not a Fulani Empire Vassal
My leaders are not feudal
Am not an Oyo Empire courtesan
That prostrates before a man
Am not a Bini Empire slave
I do not crawl and crave
Surrounded we were by Kings
Yet democratic in village settings
We hail those that rule us
They deserve to be boss
We honour people of candour
Reputed for their valour
We do not bow, we do not scrape
We do not cow, we do not ape
Because we are Biafrans, my man
Because we are Republican
But we will do the best we can
When we become your fan

Nnamdi Kanu
Has earned our praise
By his deeds and his ways
It is time to say thank you
Ohamadike Ndi Igbo dalu
If it is money, we will give
If it is life, we will grieve
If it is work, we will labour
For it is in our favour
To see the rising sun
Sail above the horizon
To birth a new nation
For a new generation

Unity is Supreme
Igwe Bu Ike
If we must fail, let us fail together
If we must win, let us win together
Udo diri ndi choro udo.

NEW RELEASE DATE FOR NWOBOSI BOOK:
1966 The Dark Truth
On Amazon and other booksellers.
Hardcopy: 7th February 2019
E-Copy: 14th February, 2019

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