The sit-at-home order in the Southeast was introduced by the leader of IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, in August 2021. It was designed to take place on Mondays. At the time of its introduction, many people supported it because it was widely thought that it would lead to the release of Nnamdi Kanu from detention . For this group, a high compliance rate was thought to be a very strong demonstration of support for the policy.Many others thought otherwise. This school of thought believed that it would lead to an economic disaster in the Southeast, and that a dialogic approach to his release held greater promise.
It is this latter type of thinking that led the administration of Dr. Barr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah to abolish the sit-down order shortly after his inauguration as the Executive Governor of Enugu State on May 29th 2023.
Like the sit-at-home order, it was equally greeted by various reactions. In his speech abolishing the sit-at-home order, the Governor argued that the Igbo “DNA” is wired with commercial and entrepreneurial prowess”. To this end, he argued that the Sit-at-home order is “inconsistent with reality that the spirit of entrepreneurship, commerce and creativity are killed every Monday in our land,” and that our “restless spirit of industry abhors laxity and indolence.” In any case, after twenty-two months of the adherence to the sit-at-home order without any significant results, it was expedient to change the tactics. And that was exactly what Peter Mbah did.
Many hailed his action. Many others argued that it would re-energize the sit-at-home order since he did not engage IPOB and other critical stakeholders before coming out with the policy. This group thought that he would have held discussions with various interest groups before issuing such a radical order. Soon after, Governor Mbah listened to public opinion and had a discussion with a very wide base of stakeholders in Enugu State. Meanwhile, it was alleged that Nnamdi Kanu himself had realized the economic damage the policy was doing to Igbo economy and had put an end to the sit-at-home order.
A group led by Simon Ekpa insisted that the sit-at-home order should continue.Ordinarily, Simon Ekpa’s insistence on this policy would not have generated the serious controversy in Enugu State in particular, and the Southeast in general. However, the fragile political situation in Enugu State seems to have aggravated the controversy. Elements of the opposition tend to capitalize on it. No opposition political party has come out with any formal statement, at least the much I know, condemning the abolition of the sit-at-home order.
However, a cursory look at the very combatant opposition to the ban on social media handles, especially on Facebook and WhatsApp, appears to come from many party opposition members. Incidentally, they have gathered a lot of followership.
The continued fear of IPOB actors and unknown gunmen, given the reported reactions to infringement on the order across the five southeastern states, has worsened the adherence to the ban on the sit-at-home order. The power of rumours and fake news have also contributed to worsening the situation. It is apparent that there is a deliberate hyping of attacks to scare people away from adhering to the abolition order. For example, about two weeks ago, there was a publicized directive that people should not come out on a particular day because Nnamdi Kanu was to appear in court. I was in a friend’s shop, at Ugwu Odenigwe, UNN, to carry out a POS transaction when rumours came, first that Ikpa market in Nsukka was in chaos because of attack by those supporting the ban, and second, that two persons had sustained gun injuries. There was a heated debate about the veracity or non-veracity of the ‘news’. I then called a woman customer, Charity, from whom I buy okuko Igbo to confirm whether it was true or not. I had put my phone on loud speaker. Before Charity could respond to my call, we first heard the clucking of chicken. Then when Charity responded she was surprised when I asked her whether there was some disturbance in the market. She said: “ikpa onunwe or ikpa ozo? Then people at the POS centre started saying: “people and rumours”. I mention the actual name of the person so that people familiar with Ikpa market can confirm this incident.
The worst thing arising from the sit-at-home order is the informal shift of activities on Mondays to Saturdays. It is such an easy acquiescence to an unwanted and undesirable order. It is a disastrous surrender to non-state actors. Indeed, the fear of what may happen if the sit-at-home order is resisted, not what actually happens when the order is disobeyed, has become a driving force for the continuation of the order. The narratives of what could happen have become so overwhelming that people have simply adjusted to it without fighting back. It would also appear that there are some people who both benefit from this sit-at-home order and support for its continuation. If not, why should people continue to manufacture fake news, circulate fake videos, and construct horror narratives to prevent people from going out to secure their livelihood?
Who could such would-be beneficiaries be? First, there are those who do not have the nerve to confront disorder; those for whom anything goes. Second, there might be those who like instability in a system, especially if they have anything to benefit from such instability, even if it is only emotionally and psychologically satisfying. Third, there are those who may want Governor Mbah’s order to fail so that they could satisfy their continued resistance to his administration. For such people, his failure would become a score point. Fourth, there are those who may still feel that the continued adherence to the order will lead to the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. If this is a reason, I think that the recent interventions towards the release of Mazi Kanu by Southeast Governors, individually and collectively, as well as by Ohanaeze Ndigbo hold better promise for his release than a continued reliance on a sit-at-home order.
In conclusion, I think that abolition of that order in Enugu State by Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah is a very courageous step in the right direction. As it is, he has put in place a Distress Rapid Response(DRS) outfit in the state to contain general insecurity in the state. However, setting up the outfit without adequately equipping it as allowed by law will not achieve the desired result. Moreover, the Distress Rapid Response outfit should place a lot of emphasis on intelligence gathering so that they can also play a very effective preventive role. The different Neighbourhood Watch groups in the state should also be more empowered to secure the state. The police should take more responsibility in securing the safety of the citizens for the people of Nigeria in general and Enugu State in particular.
Finally, all segments of the population should support the Governor’s abolition of the sit-at-home order, not only by returning to their duties on Mondays, but also by refusing to listen to scaremongers and harbingers of destabilizing and destructive fake news. Enugu State deserves the new vision that Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah is trying to enthrone.
Damian Opata is a Professor (rtd) of English and Literary Studies at UNN
