Finally, Gov Mbah Ends Sit-At-Home in Enugu As Markets, Banks, Schools Open
In his bid to ensure total implementation of the sit-at-home ban in Enugu State, Governor Peter Mbah toured various parts of the state capital on Monday to monitor compliance on the illegal sit-at-home declared by some non-state actors.
This, according to media reports, was even as Enugu traders and residents told the governor that they were tired of sitting at home on Mondays, describing it as a plague killing their businesses and household economies.
While commending the level of compliance in most places visited, Mbah, who was at the Spar Mall, Roban Stores at Bisalla Road, Market Square, Shoprite, Zenith Bank at Ogui Road, Celebrities, Ogbete Market, Garki Awkunanaw Market, Mayor Market, Abakpa Market, and the State Secretariat, among others, however warned that traders, who continue to sit at home from Monday, 24th July stood to lose their shops to serious-minded businessmen.
He assured that adequate security had been provided, observing that there had not been any incident of attack since the ban on sit-at-home in June.
Mbah, who took time to interact with business owners, shoppers, traders as well as civil servants at the State Secretariat, said, “It should never be heard that we were cowed because of the threat of violence by these criminals,” noting that “the poverty that will befall us for sitting at home will kill us even faster.”
“We are losing over N10bn every Monday that we sit at home. Enough is enough. This foolishness must end, and it must end now. We cannot be marginalising ourselves and still complain of marginalisation. 
“So, we must say no to sit-at-home because what it means is that we are destroying our employment, our economy, and our GDP.
“We must erase it from our memories. We should see it as our shameful past, which we do not want to remember. We must put it behind us and forge ahead, ensuring that we work every working day of the week”, he urged the Enugu people.
To the traders at Ogbete, Garki, and other markets, he, however, warned that locking shops on Mondays would no longer be condoned.
“But you know, there are also consequences for not heeding our orders. From now on, I want to put you on notice. I will go around the state again on Monday next week.
“We will come with the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority to put a seal on any shop that is locked on Monday because of the illegal sit-at-home. We will take it that you are not ready to do business.
“We are going to revoke your license to operate. We will revoke your shop title and reallocate it to someone else who is ready to do business. This is something we must enforce with effect from Monday next week”, he forewarned.
Meanwhile, the market leaders and business owners have assured the governor that they were now ready for full compliance, saying they were already sick and tired of the Monday sit-at-home.
At the meeting with the Ogbete traders, the President of Enugu State Amalgamated Traders Association, Comrade Stephen Aniagu, assured the governor that they had already agreed to commence full business, saying all shops would be open from next Monday.
Also, the leader of Abakpa Nike Market, Bernard Anike, also assured the governor that they had since started complying with the ban of sit-at-home.
Meanwhile, a development economist, Richard Emeka Ezeh, lamented the high cost of sit-at-home and commended Dr. Mbah’s determined efforts to bring it to an end.
“I’m surprised to see the governor here. I like that he is going around to sensitize the people on why they should come out.
“Employers of labour were losing so much money to sit-at-home. The economy cannot grow when we are losing N10 billion every Monday.
“As a development economist, I know that the private sector drives every economy, but the private sector cannot thrive in a place where people sit-at-home.
“So, let’s continue to convene town hall meetings, engage the youths, engage the artisans, and continue to sensitise the market women.”
On her part, Chioma Nwagu said the sit-at-home was killing the economy.
“We have to come out to do our business. We can’t feed ourselves while staying at home. We have to come out and do our businesses”, she stated.
In the meantime, public and private schools monitored by journalists in Enugu were open, most of them for the first time on a Monday since the beginning of sit-at-home.
At the Spring of Life International Schools, where full academic activities were on, Mr. Dominic Okoro, who came to complete his child’s registration, told reporters that “restoring academic activities on Mondays will help the children,” expressing happiness at the development.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) had instituted the Sit-At-Home civil disobedience protest against the incarceration of their leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. It was being observed each day the incarcerated leader of the IPOB was to appear in court.
The Directorate of States (DOS), the highest decision making body of the group had suspended the Monday sit-at-home order in South East since 2021.
However, IPOB’s Head of DOS, Chika Edoziem who announced the suspension of the action, said then that the sit-at-home would be declared whenever Kanu will be making appearance in court and not every Monday as earlier directed.
But the Mazi Simon Ekpa, the Finland based factional leader of the IPOB, continued to enforce the order through armed youths in South East.
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