From Maurice Okafor,Enugu.
From the records, the ‘Sit -at -home concept as a strategy to push for an independent state of Biafra, was the concept of Chief Ralph Uwazuruike led Movement for the Accualisation of Soveign State of Biafra(MASSOB).
During those period,between 2004 and 2006,Chief Uwazuruike will pronounce just one day in a year to be obsefved as sit at home. The level of compliance throughout the country were usually tremendous, as Alaba International market Lagos,Kano,Port Harcout,Onitsha main market,Ariria market Aba, and several others remained under lock and key and instilled lots of fears on the federal go vernment and it’s security agencies.
It is note wortby to mention that Chief Uwazuruike and MASSOB,after a while changed tactics of their pursuit for an independent state of Biafra.
Comparatively, the current Sit at home initiated by the Indegeneous People of Biafra(IPOB) is limited to the South East zone and on every Monday,until faceless individuals and miscreants doubled the illegality of the process wrecklessly by pronouncing sit at home randomly and compellng the residents to abide to it. There are reports of ugly incidence of innocent citizens who genuinely embarked on their businneses got their vehicles burnt by the miscreants under the pretext of enforcing sit at home. The implication of encountering any mishap at any encounter with these miscreants is jusf the major reason why several people in the South East zone still prefer to stay indoors on Mondays amidst economic hardship and losses they gain return.
Checks reveal that the scourge and negative effects of the cancerous ‘Sit at home’ on the Igbos and other Nigerians living in the South East zone of the country is devastating and retrogressive in the economy of the zone in the past one year or thereabout.
Initially,It was envisaged that the strategy will compel the Federal government to instruct the law enforcement agencies to release Mazi Nnamdi kanu,the leader of Indigeneous People of Biafra(IPOB) from detention.
To that extent,the level of compliance was astronomical as both traders in all the major markets in the zone closed shop, Schools, Banks and all other public and private institutions of human eneavour,sacrifically complied to the every Monday Sit at Home saga.
But it has overstayed it welcome. The genuine IPOB leadership on several ocassions urged the residents to go about their normal businesses,even as several Igbo leaders and groups have continued to plead and negotiate with the aitborities on how to secure unconditinal release for Mazi Kanu,IPOB leader.The latest in the series of such free bargain was done by the Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah to President Ahmed Tinubu.
Meanwhile the efforts of Governor Peter Mbah to end Sit at home in Enugu state is yielding results,as most business enterprises,banks,filling stations etc,opened for public services against rumours of declaration of a Seven day sit at home in the zone by unknown faces.
Governor Mbah has further cautioned that any school or enterprise that closed shop geared towafds observing the rumoured seven day sit at home will be closed down.
Many residents extolled Governor Mbah’s initiatives to end the sit at home canker worm in Enugu,as he backed his actions with moblisatton of security operatives to
protect lives and properties of the people immediately he assumed office.
It would be recalled that at his maiden town hall meeting with stakeholders held at old government lodge Enugu,the Enugu State Commissioner of police,CP Amman lamented that the South East zone has lost over two hundred and seventy trillion naira to the sit at home.
Governor Mbah said Enugu state loses over ten billion naira every Monday,expressing worry that would derail his administration’s vision to grow the state Gross Domestic Product(GDP).
The chairman of Enugu Traditional Rulers Council, HRH Igwe Lawrence Agubuzu,cautioned that no grojp seeking for self determination or independent as a seperate state had ever engaged in processes that dedtroyed the economy of the region,they are aspjring to liberate.
He described the quest for an indepedent state of Biafra by IPOB and other pressure groups as genuine but must follow due process.
Checks revealed that the sit at home has also dealt a devastating effect on the educational system in the South East zone and upbringing of school children in the zone.
This is based on the fact that pupils and students are compelled to stay extra hours inost scbools every day so that their teachers will try to cover up for the hours of study they usuallyl loose every Monday,also to cover up the curriculum for those of them who will be invol ed in external exams.
Expectations are that normal economic activities and social services especially will start cropping up henceforth,as Governor Mbah is leaving no stone unturned to the scourge in Enugu state.
A political scientist, Professor Godsmark Ugwu, in a brief chat advised the South East Governors to tackle the menace wholistically,stating the miscreants are preempting a parallel government across the South East zone,if not checked outrightly.
