Biafra : Before our very own eyes, a larvae has become a behemoth - Adesegun Damazio

I came across a video on Twitter in which young men and women chanted "we want Biafra" repeatedly, as Nnamdi Kanu watched from a one or two-storey building. With him were two white companions, journalists I believe, filming the whole scene. There was a dark-skinned gentleman with him as well and from the exchange, one could surmise that Kanu was showing him the force that was the high-spirited people on the ground.


The raucous "We want Biafra" chant quickly transcended into a popular Nigerian hymn that is sung during sporting events and protests, "All we are saying, give us (Biafra)", which lasted till the end of the video.

Now, unless you're for some reason disgruntled by Kanu's meteoric rise to fame, you will agree with me that he's arguably one of Africa's most influential figures today. Before his emergence, Biafra had arguably been a novelistic entity, with only writers and historians doing the most to ensconce the chronicles in our memories. But fast forward to the modern day, Biafra is now at the very least, a movement, and at most, a destination. Although Kanu is famed for his crass vitriols, it'll be foolhardy to undermine his influence in the South East. By a long shot, it's most likely that henceforth, any significant electoral victory in the South East may not be achievable without Kanu's support/endorsement.


Before our very own eyes, a larvae has become a behemoth. And what's left for us to do is think of ways by which this colossus can channel his energy in the right avenues. Kanu is the proverbial houseboy whom the neighbor warned us about but we chose to undermine. Today, he has not only impregnated our wife but bears enough potential to take control of the house.


Yes, Kanu might be a crazy man but you'll be fooling yourself by thinking he's powerless. Look what he's done in less than a year. And with a general election staring us right in the face, you can almost tell that he will catalyze an awful lot of political victories.


Think what you will of that man, I'm more concerned about his plans.


So I ask, what exactly is Nnamdi Kanu doing?


Kanu needs to realize the importance of fiscal federalism as a pedestal to a referendum (and perhaps secession). As it stands, I wouldn't advocate for the secession of any Nigerian tribe without an initial clamour for restructuring. Simply put, restructuring fosters regional autonomy. It allows resources owned and generated by a state to be largely utilized for the benefit of that particular state, as against the feeding bottle system Nigeria currently runs.


With restructuring, we will finally know the high-performing and visionary state governors who can think outside the box, compared to those who solely depend on federal allocations (stolen from economically viable states).


Kanu needs to pay a listening ear to restructuring before pushing for a secession. Besides, there's absolutely no second-guessing which geo-political zone stands the highest chance to attain regional autonomy - of course it's the South East. Forget all that crap they told you at newspaper stands, the South East has virtually everything they need to survive - water, technology, food, manpower and what not. Regional autonomy will definitely work well for them. Forget the oil you have in your backyard and see what China has achieved without a droplet of oil.


Summarily, South East is Africa's China. And if you don't like the sound of that, go and argue with your ancestors. You will learn today.


Everybody needs to stay calm but while at it, we must be alert.


As somebody rightly mentioned some days ago, Kanu needs the spirit of wisdom and it's the only thing I wish him right now. He needs to control his power lest he veers off course. Kanu has read leadership books and learnt leadership techniques but is currently applying the wrong methods. He needs to realize that one weak leak can break the chain of a mighty dynasty. He seems to be doing the right thing the wrong way. By his hands, he could ruin everything. But with proper guidance, he could go down in history as one of Africa's fiercest federalists.


Ultimately, the choice is his, and yours his fellow tribesmen and women.


But honestly, what the bloody hell is he currently doing?