Workers, marketers and transporters as well as residents of Awka and other communities of Anambra state on Monday ignored order by Gov. Charles Soludo, to resume normal socio-economic activities against the Sit-At-Home directive by the Indigenous People of Biafran (IPOB).
Our Correspondent investigation at the various markets within Awka, the state capital, particularly Eke Awka Markets, Onitsha, the commercial hub of the state and others showed non-compliance by the traders, as well as workers, students and pupils.
All the markets, banks, government offices, schools, motor parks and filling stations were under lock and key.
The entrance/exit gates at the Eke Awka daily market were locked except for roadside hawkers and petty business women operating along the road.
Also, all the shops and business premises along the Amawbia/State Command headquarters Road to the popular Ziks Avenue and Nkwor Amaenyi Market were deserted as people did not open for businesses.
Commercial bus operators plying various routes within and outside Awka town, the commercial town of Onitsha and Nnewi were off the routes while the various motor parks were empty.
There was, however, skeletal businesses by shop owners few kilometers away from the markets.
Tricycle operators and few shuttle bus drivers have a field day as they ply some routes to convey people to various destinations.
At the State Secretariat, Awka, located close to Aroma Junction, off Enugu-Awka-Onitsha expressway, some workers were seen discussing in groups in their offices, although, the environment was not business- like as it used to be.
Further findings revealed that students in public secondary schools and primary schools did not go to school except those in few private achools.
Commercial banks were worst hit as those along Ziks Avenue and few poles away from Regina Junction along Enugu-Awka-Onitsha express, Nnewi, Nkpor, Onitsha and Ihiala towns did not open for business.
As at 8 am in Onitsha and Nnewi, neither school children nor their teachers were seen on the streets heading to school.
Same applied to other civil servants that include workers at local Government Areas, courts, hospitals, among other places as the roads were completely deserted.
A staff of Onitsha North Local Government Area, who simply identified herself as Ngozi, said that, “I don’t want to risk my life, let the Government order the markets, banks, courts and others to start first before they ask us (civil servants) to be on the duty post”
Another staff at Onitsha General hospital who pleaded anonymity added that, “days were gone when as bread winners we lost our lives to miscreants and those who have no future. It is not that we are disobeying the executive order but the whole place is prone to insecurity”
“Who comes to your rescue when the miscreants attack you. Even the IPOB are looking for these miscreants who claim to be working on behalf of the genuine IPOB.
“So the Governor’s order should wait for now until the coast is clear for the ship to Barth. Today is even worse, you can see that people are in their respective homes making merry. The youths are playing football in the streets and others gather, drink and talk about Ukraine and Russia war”.
“The Governor’s order even worsened the situation, you can see that the situation is even worse today than the previous days and it is because Governor Soludo issued it as an order to us when he has those security operatives that guard him around him.
His predecessor, former Governor Willie Obiano, tried it and failed because if anything happens to us it is our family that will lose and not the Government. So we better stay indoors even if IPOB has according to them suspended the every Monday sit-at-home order, the miscreants and street urchins still capitalize on that to rob, maim, assault and intimidate the innocent general public”
Also reacting, a trader at Nnewi Nkwo trial, Mr Ogem Mathew, stated that, ” it is funny for Governor Soludo to ask the Innocent civil servants to go to work on Mondays when he did not put in place the enabling environment like security that will ward off any attack from miscreants that now want the suspended Monday sit-at-home order to continue”
” You can see that the roads are deserted, worse than before and it is because of the executive order he issued while in Awka with over 30 security men around him when we don’t even have one with us.”
“The problem now is not the IPOB but the fake ones who even place public notices in all the places warning that whoever that dare them will meet his Waterloo, it it not funny to us the poor civil servants to defy the order of the miscreants that have nothing at stake”
Recall that Governor Soludo had during his inauguration on March 17th 2022 as elected sixth Governor of the state declared his commitment to initiate dialogue with all groups including the proscribed IPOB, Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafran (MASSOB) and others.
The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) led government of Prof. Soludo had with leaders of various markets, transporters and parks across the 21 local government areas and three Senatorial Districts of the state, ordered that they should begin normal business activities on Mondays and ignore the sit-at-home directive by the IPOB leadership.
Although, IPOB had since asked residents of the five states in the South East geo political zone to begin normal socio-economic activities including opening of markets and business operations, the directive has been largely ignored.
Investigations showed that IPOB has been factionized leading to confusion in the operations of the body in some states of the zone.
The Sit-At-Home directive by IPOB is aimed at mobilizing support and sympathy of Ndigbo for the leader of the group, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, who is currently undergoing trial at the Federal High Court Abuja for treasonable felony, terrorism and other criminal charges.
Kanu is being detained by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) Abuja.
The case is expected to come up on April 8th 2022 the court.
It reported that estimated N15billion is lost to Southeast each week due to the ongoing Sit-At-Home directive by IPOB.
It is the general belief in the Southeast that Soludo and the governors of the other four states should match words with action by providing adequate security before normal activities can resume.
