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 there about, out weighs it’s advantages.
Mondays are usually the first working day 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 serious pain on the neck of the citizens and other Nigerians resident in the zone.
The ugly phenomenom cages everybody to remain in doors, except for Security agencies and the health workers,who out of passion for human life concur to exigencies of their duty.
The Education sector,Banking sector, commerce, trade and industry are in ruins. The civil servants in the zone both state and federal workers,have formed the habit of observing Mondays as an extension of their weekend.
The origin of ‘Sit – at -home’ in the struggle for self determination by South Easterners started with Chief Ralph Uwazuruike led Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra(MASSOB).it was usually held once in a year across the federation,during which lots of Nigerians most especially traders and artisans in major cities of the countty,such as Lagos,Kano,Kaduna,Port Harcourt, Aba,Enugu,Onitsha,Owerri,etc closed their shops as a mark of solidarity to the struggle. It was a great challenge to the federal government between year 2004 and 2006.
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 pressurise 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 massive sympahy IPOB garnered from the South East zone citizens who voluntarily sacrificed their business ventures every Monday as a support to the plea bargain 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 tnstances where the miscreants ma handle 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 immediate past governor of Ebonyi state ,Dr Dave Umahi took several measures to end Monday sit at home in the state.Likewise,Governor Soludo of Anambra state.In Imo state,there was public rage against the enforcers,which curtailed the tempo while Abia state since the past one year observes Monday as part of their normal working day.
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 ab clog that undermines the 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 sgencies in tracking down enforcers of the Seven days sit st home in the state yielded success on Friday,July 7,as a five man who 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 PPRO,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 who are taking their common entrance exams ,banks, markets and other sectors to close down,out of fears.
PIX….GOV. MBAH
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