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We have gone down this path too many times. The narrative is always the same; first there is a true agitation, usually shared by the 99% poor across the nation, continent and indeed the world; then a group singles itself out as the one targeted most in the oppression and finally a lunatic picks up the “cause” and declares open terror.
We saw it with Boko Haram. When the terror group first started, they claimed that “Boko was Haram,” that it was western education being “Haram” (evil) that was the root cause of poverty, suffering and disenfranchisement in the north. Mohammed Yusuf claimed to be a crusader for the poor and cajoled their trust and loyalty. One trigger (government miscalculation) and the reign of terror was upon us. Boko Haram is today the most deadly terror group in the entire world. Boko Haram ended up turning a bearable poverty situation into a horrific tragedy beyond repair; one of the largest human disasters of modern days with the second largest displaced population in the entire world today.
It happened in the so-called south-south. There was true agitation, as is shared across Nigeria. There were the poor and the poisoned, as also occurs across Nigeria. Ken Saro-Wiwa first picked up the struggle legitimately and with legitimate means. He was assassinated. Next MEND (Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta) slipped into the shoes as the so-called crusaders for the disenfranchised people of the Niger Delta. Terror was the order of the day with deaths and economic terror leading to thousands of deaths across the entire nation and indeed the world as MEND shut down Nigeria’s oil export and consequently raised global oil prices and caused deadly suffering in poor countries outside Nigeria’s shores. All MEND ended up doing was rendering the Niger Delta youth partially useless — stipend dependent and highly unstable. The Niger Delta remained one of the worst ecological wrecks on earth with Bayelsa listed as the most polluted piece of land on the planet.
Our Failure To Condemn
At the heart of these two historical tragedies was one single denominator: the failure of intellectuals, leaders of thought, the media and conscientious humans in Nigeria and abroad to quickly condemn these fake emancipators, promptly.
We left it to our government to tackle; and even if our government has ever been capable of fully understanding the crisis they were partly or wholly responsible for, and as determined as they should be to tackle it promptly, it would be very hard for them to resolve it by themselves.
In the western world, all arms of society help tackle such menaces. The media properly categorizes terrorists and terrorists in the making from true freedom fighters and resolutely condemns them regardless of the strength and legitimacy of their cause. A terrorist is a terrorist regardless of covering. Or perhaps we should say, cut the terrorist regardless of the cloth. Leaders of thought and intellectuals are quick to join the government in roundly condemning the terrorist fraudulent freedom fighters.
We can already see that in contrast to what is emanating from most of Nigeria, foreign media have properly queried “Radio Biafra” in a recent release from International Business Times UK, with the necessary question, “Is Nnamdi Kanu a fraud.” This article goes to investigate the personality of Nnamdi Kanu (which by the way is said to not be his real name) and his Radio Biafra hate-speech station and query its authenticity versus it being a money making scam from the east. We must appreciate Nigerian activists like Kayode Ogundamisi and a handful of others and some editorials for advertising the reality and real questions about Radio Biafra. Of course at the other end of the spectrum we have rascals like Femi Fani-Kayode who the media unprofessionally gives space and the DSS gives freedom to advocate for terrorist Kanu. Nnamdi Kanu campaigned vigorously for corrupt Goodluck Jonathan as Femi Fani-Kayode did. Their mission and frustration becomes quite obvious.
But where are the Igbo leaders of thought? Where are the decent Igbos who Nnamdi Kanu and his terror station claim to represent? Where are the intellectuals from the east to roundly condemn this fraudster who is deviating the true agitation of the noble people of the east?
Nnamdi Kanu Is A Terrorist According To International Laws And Nigeria’s Anti-Terror Act
View Conditions In Nigeria Anti-Terror Act: http://www.loc.gov/law/
Further, Nnamdi Kanu is a thief who stole “Radio Biafra” and the “IPOB” organization from the true, responsible elders (Retired Justice Eze Ozubu and co) who he admitted established it.
Self-Determination Via Legal Cause
While I personally support an intellectual referendum to see what the 5 igbo states or any others in addition, truly desire and for them to be granted what they vote, there is no question that the terrorist, blood hungry Nnamdi Kanu is recruiting irrational and unintellectual, broken youth to enrich himself and damage any true cause for self determination, true federalism or otherwise of the Igbo nation.
By remaining silent, Nigeria’s intellectuals, leaders especially unfortunately implicated Igbo are making the error northern leaders made when their silence enabled the successful entrenchment of Boko Haram in their land. The result is our bloody history and hope not again our future.
Dr. Peregrino Brimah; http://ENDS.ng [Every Nigerian Do Something] Email: drbrimah@ends.ng