Yes, Nnamdi Kanu Is ‘Mentally Unhinged’ -By Rees Chikwendu

One of the frames used by Farooq Kperogi to describe Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in his hate-filled and bigotted article “No Tears For Nnamdi Kanu” is mentally unhinged, and I agree with him for some reasons that will discuss in this article.

If you have followed Nnamdi Kanu for years and listened to his broadcasts, you would agree that his choice of words can be offensive, no doubt, but to a specific group of people who hate the truth. Without taking time to listen to all of his broadcasts to understand his mindset, his beginning, and where he is now, you would automatically resent him and conclude that he is a vulgar and venomous-tongued person, as Kperogi labored to represent him.

Similarly, Reno Omokri has misrepresented Nnamdi Kanu as a self-hating person because he insulted black people. But what Reno hasn’t done yet is deeply study the man Nnamdi Kanu to understand why he uses insults as a tool of communication. In his recent article, Reno confessed that he never listened to Nnamdi Kanu’s broadcasts until ‘just yesterday.’ I think that says it all. He watched some of Kanu’s broadcasts just yesterday and formed such a negative opinion about him. The truth is that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is a man who doesn’t know how to speak indirectly to avoid offending his audience. That’s his style, and he cannot be Reno or Igboho in his communication style. By the way, some people consider Reno Omokri, who claims to be a pastor, to be arrogant, rude, insulting, and fake. I’m curious what he has to say about that.

Nnamdi Kanu and other Biafrans

Many times Prophets in the Bible used strong rebukes to condemn injustices and draw attention to the message. I would think that Reno, as a pastor, would understand this type of communication. Apostle John, Isaiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, etc., used offensive words to condemn and pronounce God’s judgments on those persecuting God’s people and carrying out injustices. For example, John referred to Christendom as the great harlot. Christ, too, called the religious leaders of his time ‘offsprings of viper’ and many more offensive words. Of course, I do not endorse insulting anyone, but some people use that to tug the conscience of their audience. The time, place, and type of audience also dictate the communication style and personality to apply.

I think the message is clear: We are all unique. I may not like every communication style of Nnamdi Kanu, but, I can understand what he does, which is to trigger something in the minds of Nigerians and black people who wallow in their sufferings and worship their slave masters. If insults are what it will take to awaken black people who, it seems, are enjoying their slavery, to him, that is a necessary tool. I do not think that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is a self-hating person, far from it. He is a proud black man and profoundly Igbo. No matter how demeaning his words are to any group, they do not connote implicit bias to his identity. I have deviated a little from the ‘mentally unhinged’ frame used by Farooq Kperogi, although deliberately.

Reno Omokri

Farooq Kperogi and Reno Omokri, I would assume, are US citizens. Both live and enjoy freedom in a country where black people before them fought and died to make that possible. In the same manner that Kperogi and Omokri are misrepresenting Nnamdi Kanu today, many of the great African-Americans who fought for the freedom they enjoy in America today were maligned and described as mentally unhinged.

I know Kperogi and Omokri would today consider Malcolm X a hero and cultural revolutionary the same way they quickly described Sunday Igboho, who just started his agitation for self-determination recently. But Malcolm X was considered a racist and violent man. It is on historical records that Malcolm X detested and vulgarly attacked the passive resistance strategy of men like Gandhi and Martin Luther King and called for militant resistance of white people. In his ideological position, he found it hypocritical that black people in the United States should commit to non-violence when they were hunted and killed like worthless animals on the streets. Therefore, he was considered a villain of the struggle. I am convinced that Professor Kperogi today cannot speak ill of Malcolm X in his lectures in the United States. He would run into trouble with many who idolize Malcolm X.

Farooq Kperogi

I find it hypocritical and deceitful how the likes of Omokri and Kperogi quickly forgot that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, for years, pursued his self-determination struggle peacefully. Flags and radio broadcasts were the only weapons at his disposal. And he still commits to non-violence except for the terrorists and the marauding Fulani Herdsmen, who occupy the forests raping and killing women in their farmlands. That was the specific reason for the formation of the ESN that the Nigerian government did everything in its power to push it into armed struggle. But, I ask: Why would a self-acclaimed man of God and a Professor be this deceitful in framing social issues about the Igbo race?

Consider another historical example of a ‘mentally unhinged’ person. Marcus Garvey was a revolutionary civil rights activist, the same title Reno Omokri assumes today. Garvey was radical and controversial. It is not wrong to call Marcus Garvey the father of pan-Africanism and black nationalism. His ideas helped to create several movements to liberate black people all over the world. He raised an army for the liberation of enslaved black people. Despite his popularity, many people critiqued him for being extremely radical. Many people of his time described him thus: ‘without doubt, the most dangerous enemy of the black race in America and the world.’ But, do you know that the likes of Zik and Nkrumah were students of Garvey, and he inspired them to return to their respective homelands to champion movements for self-determination? They, too, were mentally unhinged men. Don’t forget.

The Eastern Security Network

Consider Nelson Mandela – another mentally unhinged person. He was labeled a terrorist and jailed for more than 27 years. Did you know that Mandela headed the ANC militant wing Spear of the Nation or uMkhonto we Sizwe, which launched many attacks on government installations and killed many people? Today, the likes of Omokri and Kperogi would call Mandela a hero but demonize Kanu. Do you know the difference? It’s because Omokri and Kperogi are self-hating black men. If not, why do they hate a man who is calling for a referendum so much? Why can’t they join their voices to demand the same? The struggle for self-determination is not a jollof-rice party. It is never a democratic process, even though the outcome they seek is democratic. So you would not demand non-violence from a group when you continue to unleash daily violence on them. In the words of James Linen, oppression worketh out its destruction.

If you go through history, you will find out that those who emerged as greats were at some point framed as ‘mentally unhinged.’ There are many of such men and women in liberation struggles, science, innovations, etc. They were deranged people because they challenged conventions and the status quo. Do not forget that Odumegwu Ojukwu was a foremost mentally unhinged Igbo because he was far ahead of his peers. They could not see what he saw. They still can’t see it today. So, don’t expect them to understand Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. It is no surprise that their country is a place of devilry?

I think those who have refused to fight for the independence of their nations but choose to be Fulani slaves and continue to bear the tag of minorities in their land are the mentally unhinged people. No group should accept a minority tag in their land. Every group reserves the right to self-determination, and a referendum is a pure democratic instrument. Nnamdi Kanu cannot be mentally unhinged when his agitation and call for a referendum is democratic. All those who have refused to answer this call and continue to demonize it are mentally unhinged and savages.

On Twitter @ReesChikwendu