An elder statesman and President of the Osisioma Foundation, Dr Chike Obidigbo, has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to authorise the immediate release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from detention to begin the process of national renewal.
He disclosed that given the difficult situation of the country, the continued incarceration of the IPOB leader serves no useful purpose, stressing that although Kanu’s detention is impacting negatively on the Southeast economy, it is also affecting Nigeria’s socio-political stability.
The elder statesman advised President Tinubu to discontinue his promise to continue in the steps of former President Muhammadu Buhari, noting that Buhari’s tactics are not beneficial to the socio-economic survival of Nigeria.
While noting that the President is confronting so many challenges, most of which were caused by the Buhari era, Obidigbo reminded Tinubu of an Igbo adage that says a man faced with many enemies should try rapprochement with some.
In a statement titled, “My final advice to my friend, Tinubu, to free Nnamdi Kanu immediately and unconditionally,” Obidigbo remarked that Ndigbo needed some form of appeasement.
He stressed that the bitterness on both divides is still gaining serious momentum as Ndigbo remains the underdog.
He stated, “Only President Tinubu knows whether holding the IPOB leader is contained in Buhari’s handover notes. But, whatever reasons Buhari may have advanced, Tinubu as the incumbent should evaluate the details of such blind and hard-hearted disposition and use his good offices to review and release Kanu.
“As a concerned elder citizen, I know of a truth that the political situation of any developing country impinges on its economy, just as the peace, security, and wellbeing of the citizens constitute the primary purpose of government.
“So, my final and well-intentioned advice to my friend and fellow elder statesman, Jabagan, is to release Kanu if truly he desires to build a nation out of this so-called geographical expression known as Nigeria.
“Granted that President Tinubu declared his intention to continue with the policies of former President Buhari, including anti-people economic programmes, I believe that the continued detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu remains counterproductive.”
While arguing that the prolonged “incarceration of Kanu is not serving any useful purpose,” Obidigbo declared that Biafra’s agitation has gone beyond Kanu and even Simon Ekpa.
He disclosed that Kanu appeared at a time when the marginalisation of Ndi-Igbo in Nigeria was taking on a new dimension, remarking that Kanu started speaking out after seeing the plot to decimate the Igbo population.
“The former president always referred to the civil war, making it plausible that there was a plan to unleash another mayhem on Igbo. Kanu emerged and started showing evidence that Ndi-Igbos are not wanted in Nigeria, and his message resonated with all well-meaning Igbo except the few who were enjoying political benefits from the system.
“As things stand now, the Biafra agitation has become sweet music to the ears of young people. Kanu has fulfilled his divinely ordained purpose, which was to set the Biafra ball rolling down the cliff.
“Having successfully achieved that mission, it is crystal clear that Kanu no longer holds the key to quench the fire or to stop the rolling boulder. As such, detaining him further seems like a drowning man clutching onto any straw.
“Even the more volatile Simon Ekpa cannot quench the Biafra agitation with the momentum it continues to gather,” he stated.
Obidigbo recalled that while some hardliners in Buhari’s administration tended to believe that holding Kanu was the best way to extinguish the agitation for Biafra, the reverse has become the case.
He added that the IPOB leader’s detention has continued to fuel insecurity amid vociferous demands by separatists in the Southeast, saying that splinter groups are rising up daily to protest the continuing injustice against Ndi-Igbo.
The senior citizen said it is obvious that the economy and people of the Southeast geopolitical zone continue to bleed from the prolonged detention of the IPOB leader.
He, therefore, expressed the hope that, as a recognised democrat, the “President understands my points clearly because I have spoken as an elder to another elder and friend.”
His words: “I advise President Tinubu to use his tongue to count his teeth. I am done with making requests for the release of Kanu. But let it be known that keeping the IPOB leader further will never usher in much-needed peace and national harmony.
“A decision must be taken at this juncture, whether the Igbo are still wanted in Nigeria or not. If the answer is in the affirmative, that is where Nnamdi Kanu becomes most valuable, because he is today’s harbinger of the Igbo spirit, rather than any of the current artificial Igbo socio-political leaders.”
The Osisioma Foundation Leader noted that as Kanu regains his freedom, the authorities should mellow further threats to Ekpa so as to douse the tension and initiate dialogue on the peace process.
“Outside of this, it will be very clear to all, particularly Ndi-Igbo, that retired General Gowon’s ‘No-Victor-No-Vanquished’ slogan was actually programmed to be an empty rhetoric, mischievously intended to deceive and punish,” Obidigbo declared.
He condemned the nonchalant and self-serving posture of some Igbo leaders, demanding that the passive ignorance, apathy, and nonchalance of the Igbo elite should cease.
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