There’s absolutely nothing to rethink here.

The greatest restraint any mortal faces is the fear of death. Once that fear is conquered, most of the things ordinary people worry about simply lose their hold. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has clearly crossed that threshold — so asking him to “rethink” his decision is to misunderstand his state of mind and purpose.

From a strategic standpoint, under game theory, it is a fatal mistake to sit and play a game designed by your opponent. That’s the surest way to lose before the first move is made. The right response is to alter the rules — to change one or two aspects of the game, throw the other side into dissonance and confusion, and thereby regain the initiative.

That’s exactly what MNK has done. His decision to defend himself is not a blunder; it’s a masterstroke. Whether they jail him, kill him, or set him free, he has already changed the dynamics. Or better still, let the charade continue — for each passing day further exposes the dysfunctionality of the Nigerian state before the world.

This is a man who has lost his parents back-to-back, endured unimaginable ordeals, and yet remains unbroken. What else is there to fear that could compel him to reconsider his path?

For nearly a decade, one man has preoccupied an entire country that calls itself the “Giant of Africa,” yet behaves like a dwarf — a stunted, paradoxical society where one person’s gain must always come at another’s loss. We keep pretending to build a nation when we can’t even manage the country we were handed.

Strategic thinkers know that MNK’s situation should never have been handled the way Nigeria has. The United States, for example, endured decades of harsh criticism from Louis Farrakhan, his mentor Elijah Muhammad, and even Malcolm X, yet never mishandled them — precisely because they understood the danger of radicalizing followers by persecuting their leaders.

In contrast, Nigeria has chosen the reckless path. Today, MNK commands more passionate followers across Nigeria — not just among the Igbo — than most politicians. Ironically, his fiercest critics are these same politicians, many from the South East, whose fear and envy only betray their insecurity.

Let me make a sober prediction — and I pray it does not come to pass:
If MNK dies under this endless detention and mockery of a trial, something far worse will emerge. Someone more fierce, more unyielding, and far less forgiving will rise in his image. And those who are silent today will find themselves unable to explain how he died in custody under President Tinubu — a man who merely inherited this problem but seems determined to own it. That, in itself, would be a historic miscalculation.

C.O.M✍🏾