THEORIZING NNAMDI KANU -By Rees Chikwendu

Rees Chikwendu

Nigeria will never be the same again with the rise of the storylines for political and economic redistribution of power and the agitations for the independent existence of its nations. The adventure and experiment called one Nigeria, which started over a hundred years ago, is experiencing great turbulence. Obviously something has got to give this time to avoid the eventual collapse of the Nigerian state. The status quo has been shaken and it seems the hegemonic order cannot withstand the shock and impending chaos for too long. At the center of recent Nigerian “sturm und drang” is the “infamous” Nnamdi Kanu who has within a short period of time made tremendous contribution that is shaping its political psychology. Although his communication method raises concerns, it has made significant impact on Nigerian political landscape and has earned him millions of admirers as well as enemies. This is an attempt to briefly theorize and discuss Kanu’s communication strategy in the Biafran struggle.

In communications, there are certain psychological behaviors that characterize human affairs. Taking culture into account, they significantly determine the course and the outcomes of events. The effectiveness and effects of any communication depend on the intention and/or goals of the communicator. Of course no one can claim to know the real intention of Mr. Kanu with regards to his communication style, but we can make room for assumptions for the purpose of theory. So, for communication to be effective, the communicator must acutely weigh the need-value system of the interpreter (or audience). In addition, the communicator must envisage unavoidable effects – that is, manifestations which are not part of his plan. Such manifestations could arise from tensional variables as a result of the structure of the space where the communication takes place. Put differently, no communication approach can achieve complete effectiveness. There will always be unintended manifestations in the communicative event. How the communicator contains the effects could make or mar the communication. That is why he must consciously manipulate the contents he produces with the interpreter in mind.

Communications in agitations and revolutions are often organized to stimulate the public space and the minds of its audience, which either has been too dormant or shows signs of restiveness, into action or further activities. The stimulus can be simple or complex depending on the space and intention of the communicator. Situational analysis is often used to gauge the degree of communication contents necessary to stimulate a field, either to achieve immediate goal or future goal. Communications contents produced in agitations and revolutions are to create instabilities, disequilibriums, and to increase tensions within a space towards ultimate goal. The extent the goal is achieved is what makes such communications effective. It will be wrong to expect the communication contents of agitations and revolutions to be peaceful when in fact the goal is to cause “necessary anomie” to birth a new order.

Therefore, the communicator must know how to manipulate the communication contents he produces. He must be very perceptive of the interpreter and his environment in order to induce and influence his behaviors. Understand: The communicator has limited control on how the interpreter makes sense of the communication contents he produced, because communication is not a linear process. However, the communicator can be perceptive of the interpreter’s beliefs system and attitudes and manipulate the contents he produces to share control with him. He must use the right communication signs and symbols in appropriate measures to trigger the consciousness of the interpreter and other audience of interest. If an interpreter is too proud and arrogant, signs and symbols that scratches on those personalities are likely to trigger certain behaviors. Therefore the communication contents should be transmitter-oriented. And exposure moment should be well calculated to achieve the desired results.

Briefly analyzing Nnamdi Kanu’s Biafran struggle and his communication approach so far, it seems that he is a master strategist, who has succeeded in baiting the government – the primary interpreter – into most of his traps. Without doubt Mr. Kanu has shown that he understands the mindset of President Muhammadu Buhari. He knows how to press the pride and arrogance buttons of the president and has often manipulated his communication contents to stimulate and to share control of the president’s behaviors.

A communication approach adopted by Nnamdi Kanu to get the attention of his interpreters is the use of verbal bellicosity. I think he understands that it is not only the political consciousness of the Igbo people that needs to be awakened. Other dormant ethnic groups also need to be stimulated therefore the need for aggressive communication contents to awaken their consciousness to their plight in the Nigerian experiment. It may not be the best strategy, but it has worked relatively well for Mr. Kanu. Today, Nigerians have started to ask questions no one would dare ask in the past. National issues marked no-go areas are now being openly discussed. Different ethnic groups now agitate for separate existence from the Nigerian state. However, the use of verbal aggression does not indicate Kanu’s willingness to lead his Igbo people into another civil war. Neither does it show that he really hates those he attacked in such manner. This approach is part of what rhetoric is about. No doubt it has made him enemies from other ethnic groups in Nigeria who felt insulted by him. That was his way to jolt them to be awake rather than wallow in their enslavements and pillaging in the hands of the Hausa/Fulani.

We must also point out that sometimes bellicosity can spill out of control due to some sorts of miscalculations and complication, and many Nigerians have shown their concerns with regards to this approach. They fear it can trigger unpredictable blunder, especially when there are no adult supervisions on both sides of the communication. Unfortunately, at the moment, it is only the Nigerian government who has shown real physical aggression and violence through pervasive military action against unarmed civilian protesters. Well, this could be part of the effects and unintended manifestations. But can also be part of Nnamdi Kanu’s intention to negatively portray Nigerian government as the violent party before international observers and potential sympathizers. The recent military action was unnecessary and has only increased tension.

Apart from using his radio broadcasts to promote the Biafran struggle and to awaken the consciousness of millions of Igbo youths across the world, Nnamdi Kanu desperately needed the attention of the government as the primary interpreter. There is no way he could bring the struggle into international limelight without the attention of the Nigerian government. In this case, Radio Biafra, metaphorically speaking, was the John the Baptizer of the struggle in preparing the way for what is happening now and those to come in the future. Nnamdi Kanu needed to put the Biafran struggle on the front burner of national and international discourses. How did he achieve that?

“We need guns and we need bullets.”

That was the trigger and necessary content to get the attention of the primary interpreter. It enraged the government of President Buhari who interpreted it as a serious threat to his government. Remember: the communicator must use the right signs and symbols that stimulate, and know how to manipulate his communication contents with the interpreter in mind. The right moment for maximum exposure to the message he produces must be well calculated. In addition, the message needs to be unambiguous (although all communications are to some degree ambiguous), because the goal is to share control of the interpreter’s behaviors.

Personally, I would say that the guns and bullets message was deliberately captured on video for the purpose of getting the attention of Nigerian security. That content brought Nnamdi Kanu to the attention of the Nigerian security. Don’t forget that the communicator must be perceptive of the interpreter’s beliefs system and attitude. Nnamdi Kanu understands the disposition of President Buhari and his deep hatred towards the Igbos. Such message coming from an Igbo person preaching another secession message would definitely be received as a serious threat. So guns and bullets were the right signs and symbols that trigger the insecurity and hate of the president. That was an intelligent move from the Biafran leader. Having won millions of converts through radio Biafra, he has to be present on ground to strengthen their faith in the struggle. But he cannot arrive in Nigeria without being viciously persecuted by the former dictator therefore he baited the government with the announcement of his arrival into the country. Because it presented, too, the right opportunity seize and to win local and global sympathizers. That was brilliant.

Prior to 2015, Nnamdi Kanu was relatively obscure. The struggle would have had less impact with just Radio Biafra broadcasts. That is why he needed the attention of the government. Moreover, he needed the sympathy of the international community. And no other time would have been effective for the struggle than a time when the Nigerian leadership is under a former dictator who is not just proud and arrogant but also harbors deep hatred for the Igbo people. So Kanu’s timing was impeccable. Defying the threats of arrest he deliberately announced his coming because he knew the Nigerian security would arrest him. Kanu’s perceptiveness about the president and Nigerian political environment is ingenious.

At the moment that no one seems to know where the Biafran leader is hiding, I think it may still be part of his grand strategy. Understand that it was Kanu who openly taunted the president and stimulated his ego. It was the same Kanu who invited the military to come to his house and meet their death. A proud and arrogant president like Buhari received the unambiguous message and immediately sent his military boys to honor the invitation. To think that Kanu did not anticipate that military move and offensive at his house would be highly surprising. This is not over yet. We have to be patient to know the next move of the Biafran leader and what becomes of Nigeria.