By Nnamani Arinze Darlington
The governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, on Friday the 2nd of June declared an end to sit-at-home in the state effective from Monday, June 5, 2023, saying it was restricting creativity, entrepreneurship, and productivity in the state.
Sit-at-home has cost the people of south-east so much in terms of life and property and incalculable economic losses since it started in September 2021. A survey estimated that the region loses almost N8 billion every week as a result of the destructive activities of misguided groups who have inflicted social economic woes on the people of the south-east region.
Places like Enugu, Awka and Owerri, which used to bubble with nightlife, have become shadows of their former selves as their usual patronage has dwindled. In 2021, a national conference scheduled to hold in Enugu by the National Society of Engineers (NSE) was moved to Abuja, with the organisers citing insecurity. Other organisations have taken such events elsewhere outside the region. This alone has cost the region huge income from the inflow of tourists and visitors who are scared of being caught in the sit at home volatility.
In Mbah’s words “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."
This calls for deep reflection for Ndi Enugu and the Igbo race in general. For how long are we going to continue this sit-at-home? It was Albert Einstein who said that "insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” We have had sit-at-home over and over without any productive results to our favour; rather it has been records marred by serial of loss of lives and properties in ala Igbo.
Mbah who also acknowledged the remarkable creativity and sense of industry of Ndi Igbo, further stated that the Igbo DNA is wired with commercial and entrepreneurial prowess. This is what the Igbo are known for, we can't be restrogressing at this point when the world needs us more; when the world needs those with distinct ideas and the can-do spirit that the Igbo are known for. We eschew must laziness and remissness that are not identifiable with Igbo people.
With residents forcefully complying with the 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 are worried that sooner than imagined, the South-East economy may crumble if it is not put to a stop.
According to reports, the 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 south-east loses at least N2 billion any day there is lock down in the region.
The promise of Mbah is to grow the state's economy exponentially from $4.4billion to $30 billion, build over 10,000km of roads, provide water in 180 days, build monorail, eradicate poverty, build agro-allied processing zones and make Enugu the most secure state in the country. It is pertinent to note that all these projects are capital intensive and we all know that Mbah’s administration can't achieve it without the influx of investors the state. Businessmen don't invest where their investment are imperiiled by the spectre of insecurity.
Those who are opposed to the cancellation of sit at home order by Mbah should be asked these questions - How does harassing innocent Igbos from engaging in productive economic activities help Nnamdi Kanu? How? Or how is the cause of Biafra advanced with the lockdown? What has happened since the whole hullabaloo of sit-at-home started? Are we not thinking of the future of the south-east region? Are we happy that our own Igbo people are killed? These questions should provoke deep introspection for the sympathizers of this continuous self-immolation.
Expectations are high as Ndi enugu are desirous of an exceptional leadership that will make the state flourish, take bold steps, and create jobs for her youths. A bold step Mbah took by calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to facilitate the release of MazI Nnamdi Kanu from detention. The end of sit-at-home order is a step in the right direction and Ndi Enugu are ready to support Mbah for our collective interests.
