South East Has Lost N50bn To IPOB’s Sit-At-Home Order –NACCIMA

…Southeast residents have continued to groan under the fang of the incessant Sit-At-Home ordered by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) over the detention of their leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu at the facilities of the Department of State Security Services (DSS). With its frequency and the dangerous curve it’s currently taking, the political zone, which is now losing about N8 billion weekly, experts fear, may see its economy crumbling. Report by this was captured in reports by Daily Independent.

With the rate at which the residents are forcefully complying with the on­going sit-at-home order by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) over the detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the group, stakeholders and well-mean­ing Nigerians, home and abroad have stated that sooner than imagined, the South-East economy may crumble.

The high point was when the en­tire world, through the aid of social media watched with disgust as the unknown gunmen chased students out of the examination hall and torched part of the school building and some motorbikes on the school premises.

For instance, the students of a comprehensive secondary school located in the remote Njaba com­munity in Imo State were writing their English Language paper in the external examination moderated by the West African Examination Coun­cil (WAEC) when the gunmen, now known as the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) struck.

Though IPOB has continued to deny that its members did not per­petrate the dastardly act, the fact that the action took place the Monday the group was allegedly enforcing a sit-at-home strike in the southeast political zone makes the allegation stick.

Not just education is affected in the weekly sit-at-home strike; every sector of the economy in the zone has continued to bear the brunt. The chambers of commerce, business owners and traders continue to com­pute their losses, though they put the cost of every Monday sit-at-home at about N8 billion.

First Vice President of Nnewi Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NCCIMA), Chief Moses Ezukwo, said the devel­opment has robbed the zone compris­ing Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States of over N50 billion so far; adding that the loss in the private sector amounted to over 60 percent.

Of this amount, unverified statis­tics said the transport sector loses at least N3 billion any day there is a lockdown in the region. An average of one million people move around, in and out of South East each day, at N3, 000 per traveller. No doubt, it is assumed that the action has dug a big hole in the economy of the five states of the Southeast region.

When the spokesperson of IPOB, Emma Powerful announced the take-off of the sit-at-home order in August 2021, even the sympathisers of the group were shocked because they knew it would affect the final year students from the region from taking the National Examination Council (NECO) and WAEC exams. This, however, prompted the young­er brother of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, Emma Kanu to suspend the action citing the exams.

But, the announcement suspend­ing the action attracted the ire of IPOB members around the world who saw his unilateral decision to suspend the exercise as an affront. But as days ran into weeks, the leadership of the organisation saw reason it should sus­pend the action and it did.

However, despite the announce­ment of its suspension, people still observed the sit-at-home order as streets, markets, offices, motor parks, banks, etc were closed and deserted every Monday. It was discovered that two reasons gave impetus to this: First is the fear of being attacked by hoodlums, masquerading as IPOB members and second being the sym­pathy most people have for IPOB’s cause.

The combination of these factors make the people in the zone stay at home every Monday. Indeed, when the action started in August, cities of the zone were ghost towns with streets, roads, avenues, closes, etc left desolate. Ironically, despite the gov­ernment’s counter moves such as an­nouncements in the media, threats to close down markets and sack market leaders who obey the order, the trend has continued unabated.

In Aba and Umuahia, Awka, Enugu, Abakaliki, Onitsha and Owerri, the situation persisted, as many streets were empty even as shops and banks had their door shut penultimate Monday. Reports coming from Aba said despite the opening of some markets, traders were not seen in their shops. The same scenario played out last Monday, September 13, 2021.

The IPOB is demanding the un­conditional release of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu who was abducted and repatriated to Nigeria by the Federal government with the collaboration of the Kenyan government. A human rights activist, Dr. Charles Chinekezie among other Nigerians have asked President Muhammadu Buhari-led government to free Kanu without delay and call for a national dialogue.

The Abia State government, in a public announcement in Umua­hia during the week and signed by the State Commissioner for Infor­mation, Chief John Okiyi Kalu, it said while it does not begrudge any citizen of the right to sit at home or go about their normal duties, as long as it does not infringe on the rights of others, “we cannot afford to sit idly and watch the future of our children jeopardised and the economic well-being of our people further wrecked over a matter we believe can be resolved judicially or through political negotiations.

“Leaders of all market and trans­port unions in the state are hereby advised to ensure that markets are open and transport vehicles deployed by their members for regular activi­ties on Monday and beyond unless otherwise advised by Government. Any market that is closed or trans­port union that fails to operate will be closed and disbanded, respectively, by the government till further notice.”

In Imo and Ebonyi States, Gover­nors Hope Uzodimma and Dave Uma­hi have been threatening hell and brimstone against the group, even as the threats were generally flouted while the orders or the directives of IPOB are being carried with military precision. In Anambra State, Gover­nor Willie Obiano of Anambra State moved round on Tuesday to ensure that markets and other public places were open. Despite his glaring inter­vention, Onitsha, Awka and Nnewi were locked down.

While the protest had been ob­served peacefully in some states, there have been pockets of violence recorded in some areas. For example, during the week there was an inci­dent where some hoodlums in Enu­gu attacked a bus distributing bread around the old Orie Emene Market. It was learned that the driver escaped by whiskers, but the bus fully loaded with loaves of bread was looted and the bus set ablaze by the hoodlums. Similarly, two tricycles were also torched in the area before security operatives arrived at the scene to re­store peace and order and shot.

Similarly, a tricycle operator on popular Arthur Eze Road in Awka was stopped, matcheted and his tri­cycle burnt to ashes. It revealed that as early as 7 am a group of largely un­employed youths under the guise of IPOB marched through Arthur Eze Avenue and attempted to block the road by Emmaus House. They seized a tricycle and set it on fire.

“How does preventing innocent students from writing WAEC make Biafra more easily achievable? How does harassing innocent Igbos from working and going about their law­ful business help Nnamdi Kanu? How? Or how is the cause of Biafra advanced?” inquired Dr. Jaiye Eg­berongbe, a security expert during the week after analysing the modus operandi of IPOB.

A political activist in Enugu State, Chidi Joseph frowned at the govern­ment’s inaction in the last four weeks. He said the killings and burning of buses, as well as the destruction of properties, is enough reason for peo­ple to stay home. “Last two weeks, a trailer carrying spare parts worth N30m was set ablaze in Nsukka, in Enugu State, with such huge de­struction how will fear allow people to come out and risk their lives and investment?”

Indeed, the economy of the South­east states is worse for it as the sit-at-home continues. Many people who earn a living through daily work are left frustrated and out of jobs. A re­cent and unconfirmed survey said the Southeast by the action is losing N8 to N10 billion every Monday. Pres­ident Muhammadu Buhari’s govern­ment has not pretended to address the agitation of IPOB as he continues with impunity to marginalise a peo­ple and watch invading Fulani militias kill and plunder some sections of the country.

“The daily threats to life, the fla­grant impunity in every quarter and the egregious imbalance of justice have conspiratorially disrobed her of self-worth and dignity. We daily live in fear and uncertainty. Trouble upon trouble! A country once loved, once adored, and much envied by non-Ni­gerians, including the whites, now be­mocked,” Egberongbe told Saturday INDEPENDENT.

The Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu, who is a Chieftain of All Progressive Congress (APC) said, “we are not doing ourselves any good by the sit-at-home rather than destroying our economy and investment opportunity.

“If we calculate the loss of lives and properties since the commence­ment of sit-at-home, only the Igbos in South East are affected so why are we destroying our region,” he queried. “Even though we know things are not going on well but sit-at-home is not the solution so we have to come out in a peaceful way to press home our de­mands. If we continue like this, people will go hungry and hardship will bit us more in South East so immediate action must be taken by government and security agencies to protect the people as they go back to their normal business.”

Chimaroke also condemned the attack on citizens going about their legitimate businesses on account of the sit-at-home, saying the trinity of Igbo character is defined by igba mbo (hustle), akonuche (wisdom) and njepu (sojourn), pointing out that the sit-at-home is antithetical to the innate Igbo tripartite traits and a betrayal of Igbo interest.

The former Governor of Enugu State, Chimaroke Nnamani who is cur­rently representing Enugu East Senato­rial District in the Senate also frowned against the continuous sit-at-home that has brought the economy and social life in the South East to its knees.

According to Nnamani, “Most of our people live on the daily income. Think of the market women who de­pend on daily earnings to feed their families. Think of students writing external examinations being denied access to the venues.

“How does enslaving our people, de­nial of means of livelihood add value to our quest for equity and justice? If others reject us, should we also reject ourselves? It stands to reason that this sit-at-home cannot be a way forward. We cannot abandon ourselves. In our struggle for equity and justice in the Nigerian federation, we cannot in­advertently inflict more injuries on ourselves by this sit-at-home. Let wise counsel prevail.”

Even the IPOB understands and promised to set up a tax force to check­mate those parading themselves as IPOB volunteers committing crimes against humanity.

Emma Powerful during the week said: “We plead to Biafrans to bear with us for this dastardly act against humanity they are using to disrepute and memorise IPOB in the world. We cannot be part of the problem we are trying to solve. We cannot join the en­emies to compound the woes of the people we are fighting to liberate. That was why we suspended the ghost Mon­days that we earlier declared because of the economic implications to our people. We listened to appeals by the people and reviewed our stance on the matter then.”