Sit-at-home: Enugu residents shun Mbah’s directive, remain indoors

By Patrick Ike
Residents of Enugu State on Monday ignored Gov Peter Mbah’s directive to go about their daily business activitirs, as they remained in total compliance with the sit-at-home order by the Indeginous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The Governor had, on Thursday last week, announced the suspension of the IPOB order, starting from today (Monday), June 5.
He said: “There is no time to waste. The clock has started ticking on the mandate you gave me and deliverables I promise.
“A time comes in the lives of a people when they must decide whether they genuinely want to move forward or remain stuck with the conditions of their underdevelopment.

“The creativity and sense of industry of Ndi Igbo are remarkable. Our DNA is wired with commercial and entrepreneurial prowess.
“If this is what we are known for, then it becomes inconsistent with reality that the spirit of entrepreneurship, commerce and creativity, are killed every Monday in our land. Our restless spirit of industry abhors laxity and indolence.
“The idea behind sitting at home on Monday, the first working and business day of the week, is abominable and antithetical to greatness and the spirit of industry we profess to have inherited from our forebears. This cannot be us. Tufiakwa (God forbid). It does colossal damage to us.”
On Friday, he issued another directive, threatening to close down all the markets, businesses, and schools that didn’t comply with his new order.
However, on Monday, the directive seemed to have fallen on deaf ears as residents of the state stayed at home instead of going to their various areas of endeavours.
At Ogige Main Market, Nsukka, there was no single trader inside the market. The market gate was opened by the authorities to avoid government’s hammer , but no trader was seen inside the market.
One of the traders, Marcel Ugwuogo, who spoke to The Safereporters on phone wondered why the governor should ask people to defy the sit-home-order when the unknown gunmen are riding roughshod over everybody. He said he didn’t open his shop because of the fear of the unknown gunmen.
“How can you ask me to open shop today being Monday when there is sit-at-home order? I don’t want to be used as a scapegoat by the unknown gunmen. Another problem is that even if you open today, you will not see any customer because everybody is sitting at home,” he noted.
Similarly, all the commercial banks in Nsukka were also under lock and key.
One of the managers of one of the banks told our reporter that they were waiting for directive from their head office in Lagos to start opening to customers on Mondays.
He stressed that Gov Mbah’s declaration was not enough to take such risk and start opening on Mondays.
A couple of schools visited in the area were also closed because virtually all schools are currently on mid-term break.

Nevertheless, roads, streets and major highways were also deserted as usually seen on Mondays.
However, in Enugu metropolis, the story was the same.
Though some commercial buses were seen operating along IMT/Polo axis, major roads like Otigba Road and Presidential Road, as well as Old Park were equally scanty.
Gov Mbah stormed some markets in the metropolis around 11am, encouraging the traders to continue opening shops on Mondays.
He also visited ministries and offices such as the Ministries of Water Resources, Commerce, Enugu Capital Territory, Inter-Ministerial Affairs and Special Duties, Science and Technology, Lands, and Finance, as well as the Offices of the Accountant-General, Head of Service, and Surveyor-General, among others, where he was received by the civil servants and heads of the MDAs.
Mbah also visited several markets, including the Akwata section of Ogbete Market, and Mayor Market along Agbani Road, among others, where he was warmly received by happy traders and their leaders.
He stated that productivity was key to all the promises he made to the people to drive investment inflow into the state, create jobs, and provide quality services.
He reminded the people that the power and mandate belonged to them, hence, they should never allow people, who had no stake in the state’s economy to undermine the peace and prosperity of the state.
Speaking with newsmen after the monitoring exercise, he said: “The primary objective of my visit is largely to observe the level of compliance of the directive that we gave last week, declaring that we do not have sit-at-home in Enugu henceforth. The directive was meant to ensure that our people come out on the first working and productive day of the week.
“We do have a compliance level of about 60 to 70 percent; and the order took effect from today. I am aware the circular to this effect was sent out on Friday. It may well be that not all the workers got the information that we no longer have sit-at-home on Mondays.

“Whether we succeed or fail in ending sit-at-home, we do that together as Enugu people. If we succeed, our collective success means we can rise together against intimidation. It is not anybody’s or government’s success. We need to take collective responsibility for our decision.
“But the truth is that everything we have promised our people in Enugu is anchored on getting the flow of private sector investments into our state; and the private sector cannot come into a state where the people are not productive. The private sector thrives on big markets and a vibrant workforce.
“Our people are known by their hard work, industry and commerce. So, we cannot have people, who kill these spirits in our people and dictate to us the day we should go to work and the day we should sit at home.
“We have to revive that spirit of hard work and culture of commerce and industry that our people are known for. We want to reinstate that; and that is exactly what we are doing”.
Mbah assured the people of government’s commitment to the security of lives and property every other day of the week, including Mondays.
“Security of lives and property is essentially the oath we took and that is at the top of our priorities. We must ensure the safety of our people. And we have also said repeatedly that our people should go about their businesses.
“Let it not ever be heard that we are going to be listening to people, who do not have any stake in our economy and social welfare dictate to us when we must come out to work. It should not be heard of.
“Think about it, we are here today because we got the mandate of the people. So, could you then have somebody make you inferior without your consent?
Someone you have not given your mandate to lead you tells you to sit down and, somehow, you begin to sit at home. And he tells you to go, and you begin to go. That should not be acceptable. It actually undermines our dignity as a people and we shouldn’t endorse that,” Mbah declared.