GREAT revolutions or historical changes are usually heralded by intellectual ferment. The basics of such are usually founded on well thought out actions and ideas. Think of the great movements that have changed the course of history and led mankind in directions that have today remained enduring.
The South African fight against the obnoxious Apartheid regime had intellectuals such as Albert Luthuli, Govan Mbeki, Ahmed Kathdra, Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki and a host of others. These were the intellectual house of the fight against a regime that oppressed the people. They were men of standing and reputation who were able to hold their own in any discussion and were respected by world leaders because of their intellect and ideas. They gave the anti-apartheid fight a fillip that could not be shunned anywhere in the world, even some foreign governments who found themselves giving tacit support to the apartheid regime were not able to fault the stance of such men.
In other parts of the world, there was Mahatma Ghandi of India who was conscience of the fight for his country’s independence. He was the icon of the fight for liberation and his idea of non violence turned the tide against the British colonial overlord.
His exploits inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world and was widely regarded as the father of India nation. He was a trained lawyer and was not a rabble rouser.
Ernesto “Che” Guevara, an Argentine was trained as a medical doctor. He later became an author, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist. He was a great contributor and comrade to the late Fidel Castro the former President of Cuba and his brother Raul. His wide experience as a medical student travelling throughout South America opened his eyes to the great injustice that was common in his country.
He therefore decided to turn the tide and thus became an author and traveller around the world spreading the idea of revolution. He was in Guatemala, Mexico City, Bolivia and his journey even spread to Africa as he was in what is today known as the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Back home, during the Nigerian civil war of 1967-70, the Biafran leader Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, had on his side the intellectual vanguard of the Igbo race, at least at the initial stage. On his side to prosecute the war, even if their ideas were a little different from his, were such intellectuals like the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, he was Nigeria’s first president, trained in America and had the gravitas that commanded international respect and his voice in any issue was sought after.
There was also the late author, Prof. Chinua Achebe, he had at the outset of the war won international repute as an author, academic and voice of reason. He had also held the influential position of director of the powerful federal radio. There was also the late writer Cyprian Ekwensi. Christopher Okigbo, one of Africa’s finest poets left the comfort of his home writing lyrical verses and went into the war field which consumed him. There were a host of other intellectuals and thinkers who threw their weight behind Ojukwu and helped to crystallise the idea of Biafra. Perhaps this was possible because the late Biafran leader was himself a man of ideas. He was an Oxford trained History graduate and one of the first set of graduates to join the military in Nigeria.
His foray into the military and the idea of the war was perhaps influenced by his training and the people who initially supported him took a look at his education and upbringing.
However, the case of Nnamdi Kanu has been radically different and right from the beginning of his campaign, he has not been able to attract any Igbo intelligentsia to his cause. Could this be due to his not trying enough or that the intellectual are giving him a wide berth because of his perceived shallowness and poverty of ideas?
Those who have watched him speak or listen to his talks on his Radio Biafra have concluded that the man who is widely said to be a dropout of University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) has not been able to proffer a coordinated argument as to what he wants to achieve with his self- styled Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
In his agitation he has not appealed to the Igbo intelligentsia in any way, why? Imagine the attention his agitation would command to see either open or tacit support for his agitation from the Igbo intellectuals like Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Oby Ezekwesili, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Olisa Agbakoba and a host of others?
For a man who has no definite academic qualification, whose immediate family are abroad and holds a dual citizenship where does he think he would go with his agitation without the support of the intelligentsia of which his people have a surfeit of?
