From Maurice Okafor, Enugu.
The disadvantages and prospects behind the ‘Every Monday Sit at Home’ in the South East zone of the country, which has become a culture since the past fifteen months or thereabout, by far out weigh it’s advantages.
Mondays are usually the first working days in the week. It is a very special day of the week for South Easterners who are predominantly Christians to re engage themselves purposefully in their various business ventures after the weekend rest. But the enthroned culture of sit at home, has become a serious pain on the neck of the citizens and otber Nigerians resident in the zone.
The ugly phenomenom cages everybody to remain indoors, except for security agencies and the health sector. The Education sector, Banking sector, commerce, trade and industry are in ruins. The civil servants in the zone both state and federal workers in the zone, have formed the habit of observing Mondays as an extension of their weekends.
Checks revealed that the re-birth of ‘Sit at home’ in the South East zone of the country is better described as a ‘child of circumstance’. It was initiated by members of Indigeneous People of Biafra(IPOB) to press for the release of their detained leader. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. It is asserted that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is unjustly being incarcerated by security agencies even when the judiciary ruled for his bail. Thus the IPOB garnered massive support from the South East zone citizens who voluntarily sacrificed their business ventures every Monday to support the plea for the release of Nnamdi Kanu.
Futther checks revealed that the real IPOB leadership has since relaxed the strategy but few wealthy elements within and outside the country for their selfish interests are sponsoring some miscreants to forcefully intimidate the people to continue staying indoors every Monday.
Heartlessly instances where the miscreants manhandle innocent citizens on genuine business, set vehicles and shops ablaze and to a large extent kill innocent people abound.
The above ugly development informed the reason why lots of people across the zone have continued to stay indoors on Mondays. However, the respective state administrations in the zone started to fight back in restoring Mondays as normal workng days, gingering security operatives to protect lives and properties of their people.
From the records, the immediast governor of Ebonyi state, Dr Dave Umahi took several measures to end Monday sit at home in the state, likewise, Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra state.
The new Enugu state governor, Dr Peter Mbah has vowed to do everything within the powers of the government to end the ugly trend in Enugu state, describing it as a clog that undermines economic growth.
Mbah who has carved out time of his own to visit President Tinubu and made a passionate appeal for the release of Nnamdi Kanu told news men that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu does not concur to the strategy of strangulating South East economy using sit at home. He said it is a few distrungled element in the society who sre behind the economic sabotage.
Meanwhile, the combined efforts of the Enugu state government and security agencies in tracking down enforcers of the new seven days sit at home in the state yielded success on Friday, July 7, as a five man gang which wanted to snatch ENTRACO bus at gun point for their operation were engaged
in a gun duel by the police at Awkunanaw axis of Enugu metropols.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for Enugu Police Command, DSP Ndukwe in a press statement ssid lifeless bodies of four of the miscresnts were later recovered in a bush in the evening.
The pandemonium generated by assertions of presence of unknown gun men enforcing sit at home on Tuesday, July 5, had compelled schools which are taking their common entrance exams, banks, markets and other sectors to close down out of fears.
