When the late legendary and prophetic afro beat maverick, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, released his hit song, Zombie, it shook Nigeria to the very foundation, leading to what is known today in Nigeria, as the unknown soldier, who descended on Afrika Shrine and desecrated it. By the way, Anikulapo, the Yoruba tell me, means the man with death in his pocket. And because Fela had death in his pocket, he escaped death by the whiskers and lived, remaining a constant irritant to the powers that be until he eventually went the way that is common to all men and received, perhaps, the hugest crowd of mourners ever in Nigeria’s history.

Now, Nnamdi Kanu, leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and former director of Radio Biafra is set to remake Zombie in Igbo land. The ‘ochindigbonanwata gburugburu’ has decreed it: There shall be no election in his entire kingdom of Igbo land in 2019, beginning with the Anambra gubernatorial election in November. Well, if he expected the highly republican Igbo to say ‘at your command, your imperial majesty,’ he goofed. If he expected to successfully make of the Igbo man Fela’s zombie, he has embarked on a tailspin dance to oblivion.

Kanu has misread assumed success of the sit-at home order of last May to mean he is now commander-in-chief of Igbo land. He has begun to romanticise or fantasise how he will rule Biafra like its despot. However, nobody knows for sure if the supposed compliance was as a result of fear of the unknown or the normal yearly mourning of the Biafran dead, which Chief Ralph Uwazurike and his MASSOB actually started long before Kanu’s emergence. Ursurping that glory would be most uncharitable.

Thankfully, the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, and other reasonable Igbo have come out strongly against Kanu’s braggadacio that bodes ill for the Igbo man.

Truly, no true Igbo son or daughter is happy with our lot in this screwed up country but Kanu is bringing more calamity upon the Igbo through his obduracy and ambition. We all want Biafra, not necessarily as a different entity from Nigeria, but even as part of the Nigerian estate but with full rights to justice, fairness and equity.

There is, however, something the Igbo need to do before listening to Kanu’s indecorous song. There is trending article about Spain and Germany that should interest the Igbo. When the Catalonians realised that Spain would not give them independence, they turned inwards to develop their region and emerged the economic bastion of Spain. Similarly, Bayern in Germany also dreamt of Bavaria but opted to be part of Germany instead. Today, it is the most advanced region of Germany. Even California did the same and ranks not only as biggest economy in the United States of America today but also the sixth largest economy in the world. Such has been my advocacy all these years but sadly, people have fallen prey to kanu’s mob hysteria and lost sense of reasoning.

Nigeria’s mistreatment of the Igbo could be positively used as a spur to build an advanced economy to the extent that this same Nigeria will come to depend on Biafra land.

Of course, we want Biafra, but kanu’s Biafra does not appeal to common sense. Whereas his wife and kids are ensconced in safe haven in London, he wants to rope the stupid ones among us into a battle that would not only consume us, our wives and children but incinerate our hard-won gains since we began recouping our losses in the Civil War while also clinging to his British passport that would enable him to escape. The fools can dance to this inebriated Ajasco dance but the wise should be wary.

What drives Nigeria against the Igbo is pure jealousy and envy, seeing that the Igbo are like the beetle; you can’t put them down easily. But we have not helped matters by constantly plotting against ourselves and even kowtowing to jobbers in search of cursed lucre. Already, the battle is on and will rage fiercer when we get to Biafra. We now hear of core Biafra and peripheral Biafra, all because of Kanu’s mischief. Whoever told kanu and gang that he has the right to dictate to the Igbo whether to participate in election or not? To come all the way from Abia to tell Anambra not to elect their governor when he has not asked Dr. Ikpeazu Okezie, governor of his home state to vacate his seat is warped. Worst still, Nigerian security apparatchiks are now set to strengthen the siege on Igbo land all because of Kanu. Maybe, November 17 should actually be the referendum for Kanu’s acceptability, as we watch to see if he successfully mobilises his perceived, assumed, imagined or real popularity to stop Anambra from electing their governor on that date.

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People say Kanu has huge followership; I really don’t know about that. I know about undiscerning mob that have been brainwashed to believe that  ‘Biafra’ is the ultimate solution to their hunger. If not properly handled, that will become the beginning of sorrow for them. Or is it not this same Kanu that is already being deified, as evidenced in pictures online?

Let Igbo consider the wise approach of Bavaria and Catalonia, etc., and see if the lgbo will not emerge stronger and better. Let Igbo sons and daughters see the need to invest at home; to gradually disinvest from other parts of Nigeria; to repatriate homewards their huge investments conservatively put at N44 trillion in the North alone. Let our governors create conducive investment opportunities across Igbo land to encourage replication of hefty offshore investments on Igbo soil. That is the simple route to Catalonia, as enumerated in that beautiful article.

God has endowed the Igbo with uncommon intellect to excel in virtually all spectrums of life. We should deploy this to developing our homeland instead of plowing our sweat into ungrateful wastelands perpetually under threat. No place is safe for the Igbo and their investments except Igbo land.

Let the Igbo also look out for one another. These and similar thought patterns will surely lead us to a more prosperous and glorious Biafra than a yet unripe political entity, which can come later after putting our house in order. While fostering peace with other sections of the country, the Igbo just have to be as smart as they that feel safer and better at home while the itinerant Igbo have remained prodigal with their resources.

From Ofodile to Kanu

I follow Nnamdi Kanu on Youtube, and was so frightened by the crowd of people gathering around their compound everyday, which I consider very dangerous.

The people gathering around their compound is very worrisome, in that any spark, either by gunshot, or even matches, or the sight of police, will lead to stampede. And hence, there is stampede; it may lead to deaths…They should advise the people to stop coming… If you can pass on this information, you would be helping to avert a potential human calamity.

Michael Ofodile

+233-26-533-9295, mcoffor2@yahoo.com