The most sensible, courageous, and popular man today in Nigeria especially in the Southeast is Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe. His popularity stems from the fact that he is arguably all Nnamdi Kanu is and what many hoped he would be. That is a man who can confront the present Nigerian government with the intelligence and circumspection that will not result in a repeat of the Civil War. A man who combines courage with commitment. A man who will not elope or have a safety net like dual citizenship that can become handy when things do not go as planned. A man who is civil enough to know that other ethnic nationalities who do not want to be included in the map of Biafra must be respected and excluded. A man who understands how present-day Nigeria works. How the present Igbo governors think. How Igbos outside Igboland thinks. How Igbo billionaires who benefit from the status quo think. And most importantly have the capacity to harness the strength and weaknesses of the new republic in ensuring peace, prosperity, and progress. This might be too much for one man to achieve, but no nation gets ahead unless a leader steps in that has widespread support and has the character, competence, and antecedents to deliver.

Anyone who thinks Nnamdi Kanu can pull this off is not thinking or reading the signs that are available for all to see. His dictatorial tendencies are full-blown and open for all to see even without him controlling any municipality. And therefore Senator Abaribe must rise up and work with all the brawn and brain he can muster. Because there is so much work to be done. There is the task of ensuring that what befell Ken Saro Wiwa, MKO Abiola, Funso Williams, and other political leaders or hopefuls do not befall Nnamdi. There is also the task of winning over the IPOB members who have made Nnamdi a deity without thinking about what Igboland would look like with all the republican attributes of the average Igbo man or woman if he becomes the head of state. He must find a way to harness the potentials of the Eastern Security Network vis-à-vis preventing them from metamorphosing into lawless law enforcers. The work is much and it includes also working with the present state governors who enjoy their present reality so much, they are ready to fight or sabotage any new configuration.

Again, these tasks are herculean. But I somehow hope he can pull it off. There are many sacrifices along this path that will lead to the redemption of Ndigbo. A redemption that the uncircumspectful Nnamdi Kanu cannot provide. I believe he is a catalyst that is meant to do what he has done. It is now time for sanity to be infused into the struggle. A struggle that is not only Ndigbo’s but that of other geopolitical regions that needs redemption. Africa has remained underdeveloped because we have men like him who fought gallantly for independence but could not harness the potentials of their new nation. Times came when the independent population recalled their colonial days and wished it had continued because the new leaders could not deliver a new era of peace, prosperity, and progress. They became demigods who wanted to rule and live forever like Mugabe and Kaunda. There is no guarantee that Senator Abaribe would do better. But Nigeria and all her regions are in a terrible mess and there is no hope of a solution with this present arrangement and government. Senator Abaribe has shown he has courage, circumspection, and commitment. These are qualities that are in short supply among African leaders, and I hope these qualities would be enough to make him the leader Ndigbo truly and urgently need.

Ata Ukuta, Editor – www.towncryyers.com