5 Things Nnamdi Kanu’s ‘I Love Biafra’ Wristband Tells Us

Nnamdi Kanu made the headlines yesterday when he spotted an ‘I Love Biafra’ wristband to court where he is being tried for treason. Apart from the media buzz generated by this bold behavior, we can learn a few things from the action:

1. Nnamdi Kanu Is Not Broken & Has Not Given Up On The Biafran Course: He was rumored to have written a letter to Buhari some time ago, apologising for his actions; and many who oppose his Biafra independence campaign were hoping that by now, after eating watery beans in prison his resolve would have been broken, but his wristband tells us that that is far from  being the case. Instead of being broken, he is smiling as if he knows something we don’t.
2. His Access To The Outside World May Not Be Not As Restricted As Many thought: Everyone knows that the security forces dont like to see anyone promoting Biafran independence, either through demonstrations or Teeshirts or wristbands or Biafran passports, but how was Nnamdi Kanu able to get that piece of merchandise into the system, if not that he has a sophisticated access to the outside world? Remember that this is the same man that gave the Federal Government sleepless nights when they were trying to locate his Radio Biafra transmitters in Nigeria.
3. He Cares So Much About His Followers And Was Probably Trying To Reassure Them: Seeing him look sad and dejected would have doused the morale of his followers. But seeing him restate his commitment to the Biafran independence course in such a cheerful way has probably been a much-sought morale booster to many an IPOB youth.
4. The Buhari Administration Is Treating Him More Humanely Than Many Feared: For the agents of the government to have seen him wear the wristband and not made any attempt to get him to remove it suggests that they at least allow him as much room as they can to express himself, even though they don’t agree with what he is saying. If only the same courtesy had been extended to some peaceful protesters some time ago. Kudos to Buhari for that.
5. He Has A Keen Sense Of Fashion Trend Setting: Don’t be surprised if the phrase, ‘I love Biafra’ begins to appear on tee shirts, wristbands and other merchandise, all popularized by the willy Nnamdi Kanu. Reminds me of a trend that really sold some years ago. All of a sudden shirts with the phrase, ‘My Money Grows Like Grass’ were all the rage.

Like him or hate him, you cannot deny that Nnamdi Kanu has a knack for capturing media attention, whether at Radio Biafra headquarters or at Kuje Prison.