IS NNAMDI KANU THE LEADER IGBOS ARE WAITING FOR or SHOULD THEY LOOK FOR ANOTHER?
Authored By Christopher Okoli (American Based Investment Advisor)
May 10th 2017.
A few days ago, a brother I hold at a very high esteem asked if I can do an objective analysis of Nnamdi Kanu who is the new face and symbol of Biafrans’ struggle for independence. I was really taken aback because I do not agree with him in certain areas, and had wanted to remain neutral on the struggle, but my disagreement with some of his views are not relevant if God had chosen him to lead the Igbo people out of Nigeria.
My plea to all is that, there is no way all the Igbos will be in the vanguard of freedom fighting struggle, nonetheless, both sides must have utmost respect for each other’s view points until there is a referendum to determine the number of Yeas and Nos. Regardless, a divided nation can never stand, so whether one is in the vanguard of the struggle or not, approve of Nnamdi Kanu’s style, or see him as an unqualified leader, please do not throw him and the freedom fighters under the mud, total freedom has never been obtained anywhere in the world without huge sacrificial prices.
Meanwhile Nnamdi Kanu has been imprisoned by the Nigerian government from October 14th 2015 for outrageous, unfathomable, ridiculous and laughable charges just to deter him from the struggle; nonetheless, he was offered a conditional release from prison in late April 2017 for medical reasons. He initially declined the offer and opted to die in prison with some of his loyalists that were equally languishing in prison with him.
When I saw that simple line of “Let me die in prison with my comrades” I said to myself that truly, Nnamdi Kanu might be the leader Igbos have been waiting for, but when I went through the details of his release, I started hoping and praying that he has not abandoned over 35 million people that have been looking up to him as the Biblical Moses that led the Israelites out of Egypt.
In the book of Mathew chapter 11 verses 3 of the holy Bible, John the Baptist never expected to be thrown into the prison as a person that was a Public Relation (PR) officer to the Messiah- Jesus Christ, but when reality of FEAR sets in, he had his doubts about the Savoir of mankind he had proclaimed messiah few days ago, prompting him to send his disciples to Jesus Christ with the following question “Are you the one who is to come or should we expect someone else?” Right now, I will simply not condemn Nnamdi Kanu as he is leaning towards being my leader, but if he is not able to obtain total freedom from Nigerian government, I will be convinced that Igbos should pray and wait for another Biblical Moses that will definitely lead them out of Nigeria.
Regardless, I pray that he should go back to prison after his medical treatments as his value will continue to grow with more years he spends in the prison. In as much as I might rightfully disagree with some of his actions, I really encourage him to show love to President Mohammad Buhari (remember to pray for him now that his health is failing him) because God has used him to make him a leader in Igbo land and millions of people are anxiously waiting to see if he will turn out to be like John the Baptist ( An announcer of a true leader) or Jesus Christ the savior (true leader). Africa is terribly in need of a true selfless, dedicated, committed and brave leader to replace the late great Nelson Mandela who will refocus the attention of Africans away from wickedness and tribal bigotries.
Sometimes, men and women often find themselves in leadership positions that were either made for them or others, nonetheless, their actions and inactions will definitely define who such individual leaders are with time and no one should prejudge while they are in the stage. Martin Luther King Jr. once said that “if you haven’t found something worth dying for, you aren’t fit to be living”. What is life all about without the ability and the emotional willingness for individuals to make sacrifices for the betterment of others? All Christians believed that the essence of life is centered on divine LOVE that will encourage individuals to make sacrifices for one another; perhaps, this was one of the reasons God sent His only begotten son to come and die for humanity thereby setting us free all from the LAW (total freedom).
In the holy Bible, Moses, out of the love he has for the Israelites knowingly sacrificed his powerful loyalty when he murdered an Egyptian officer simply to save an old Israeli slave man. However, since God has Moses back, he was only banished from Egypt because God choose him as the leader of the Israelites without consulting anyone. In the history of America, we also read about Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., an African- American man who sacrificed his life to give other brothers and sisters a chance to a better future. Anytime I read that famous “I had a dream speech” I am always convince that his leadership was authored by the God Almighty.
I am not sure that the late great Nelson Mandela needs any introduction to remind us of his own sacrifices, when twenty-seven (27) years of his useful and precious life were taken away from him. For over five (5) times, Nelson Mandela’s captors offered him a brokered partial freedom that would have let him walk away from the prison a free man, but each time, he rejected the partial freedom, and stood his ground for total freedom. We all remembered what happened when God honored and rewarded Nelson Mandela with the presidency of South Africa, and his leadership in Africa was so exemplarily intimidating that no other African leader has come close to his accomplishments. To my beloved brother Nnamdi Kanu, the decision is yours to finish what you have started, stick with your loyalists and carry your cross for all Igbos.
God sent His only begotten son Jesus Christ to come and die for the sins of all mankind in order to restore the total freedom He gave to humanity and there is no way a partial freedom will qualify someone as a great leader to me. Of course, God’s ways are entirely different from our ways, so if Nnamdi Kanu decides to run and abandon his flocks, he has earned my respect because success comes from many failures. Please tell your committed followers to equally respect the rights of other Igbos that are not in the vanguard of your struggle. Nigerian government must be encouraged and seriously warn to confront the immediate challenge of urgent restructuring of the country or risk a violent disintegration of the forced marriage of over a century of sweet and bitter memories.
Authored By Christopher Okoli (American Based Investment Advisor)
God Bless Nigeria, Biafra, and Africa.
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Supporting books;
Crude World of Oil, “Africa – Emerging or Tapering Continent”, “African Dilemma” and “Nigerian Promising Era”.
Christopher Okoli 