Governor Peter Mba’s effort to end the ongoing sit-at-home in Enugu is a right step in the right direction. Mbah had earlier in June declared an end to sit-at-home in the state, effective from June 5, 2023, saying such orders were restricting creativity, entrepreneurship, and productivity in Enugu State. The governor said, “there is no time to waste. The clock has started ticking on the mandate you gave me and deliverables I promised. 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 government's decision to end the order a month after assumption of office was received with mixed feelings by residents. With this development, those resident in Enugu are thorn between the devil and the turbulent deep blue sea. Ideally, government does not have to share citizens’ allegiance to it with any persons or group. However, the situation is slightly different and very precarious too.
The sit-st-home order according to IPOB was their own unique way of impressing it on the federal government to release their leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu who was extradited by the Nigerian authorities from Kenya in 2021 and is still held in the custody of the Directorate of State Services (DSS) even when a court of competent jurisdiction has granted him bail. Mba who upon assumption of office made the end of sit-at-home a top priority of his administration has declared that Enugu loses over 10 billion naira to the sit-at-home every mondays.
He had, therefore, directed all civil servants to resume duties on mondays and encouraged citizens to go about their normal businesses as well. Mba further directed that civil servants who violate his order will be summarily dismissed while business men who close their shops will be dealt with accordingly. Letters were sent to private schools, banks and other private owned business to comply failure which their businesses cease to exist in the state. Ndi-Enugu clearly understood the position of the governor as a leader whose authority is undermined by a man in detention and somebody resident in far away Finland. Enugu people are very enterprising but only the living goes to work and the market. The people are concerned about the aftermath of complying with government directive vis-à-vis the weak response of security agencies to the publicly known brutal actions taken by those enforcing the sit-at-home order against people going about their normal businesses.
We all know how unprepared and ineffective the security agencies are in curbing crimes, criminality and efforts to restore law and order. Many people have lost their lives while relying on previous government’s order to go about their businesses - unfortunately they never lived to tell the stories. People chose to stay back at home not because they do not suffer the pains and agony associated with the sit-at-home but for the fact that they have lost confidence in the ability of government to protect them. Some have decided to take a rest on mondays while many others do so in solidarity with IPOB.
The bottom line remains that government has not built such confidence and trust that could possibly trigger the desired belief in its ability to protect the lives and properties of citizens. Therefore, government and security agencies should drop every show of force and continue to engage with the citizens for compliance. Even the governor who goes about to monitor compliance do so with the security paraphernalia of his office for protection from harm and injury. Could the same or a semblance of such security cover be availed an ordinary woman selling vegetables at the New Market? Here lies the crux of the matter.
No state governor would be happy and idly watch while citizens take orders from non-state actors either in Enugu, south east, somewhere in Nigeria or in Finland. Allowing such to happen means outsourcing the legitimate authority of the state government to such groups. One could clearly understand the seriousness Peter Mba attaches to this effort and desire to end sit-at-home in Enugu. Adhering to the order diminishes his office and what representative democratic governance stands for.
Therefore, the governor has to assert himself as the one in charge of the state. The governor’s effort at putting an end to the order has its own merits. However, the way and manner government goes about it in an attempt to assert the authority which it already has is one demerit trailing it. The economy of the state no doubt is in troubled state as a result. The internally generated revenue meant for development is rapidly dwindling. People are deprived of their constitutional right to freely associate. However, officials of government are unfortunately not good students of history. Why being punitive on citizens for not complying with government order? Two cannot work together unless they agree. Nobody is glad that Enugu and south east has practically become a ghost town on mondays.
Peter Mba, Ohaneze Ndi-Igbo, governors and political leaders of south east should as a matter of urgency address the causative factor leading to sit-at-home. It was reported that many Igbo leaders are making genuine concerted efforts individually and as a group to ensure that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is released. On the other hand some are accused of creating an atmosphere of unrest and prolonging the incarceration of Nnamdi for political reasons. Whatever it is, Igbo leaders should show enough sincerity in delivering this project as quick as possible. And it is certain Tinubu would like to score a political goal with the release of Nnamdi just like Shagari did with the pardon of Ojukwu. The people should not be in the dark regarding genuine efforts put by individuals and groups to resolve the impasse.
Many people are of the singular view that the release of Nnamdi Kanu will automatically end sit-at-home. The governor is therefore advised to exert the kind of energy on trying to end the sit-at-home with mounting more pressure on federal government and DSS to obey court orders and release Nnamdi.
The attempt to procure Civil Society Groups and party supporters to renounce and demonstrate against the sit-at-home is simply giving legitimacy to it. Towing that regular government path of attempts to break up group ranks, arm twisting the people and situations is uncalled for. It is a complete charade and will be counter-productive.
During some of the stakeholder consultations leading to the decision of the governor to announce an end to sit-at-home, it was keenly observed from the list of government invitees that none of the groups or representatives of those who ordered the sit-at-home was invited. Is it possible to shave someone’s head in his absence? A popular Igbo adage said that, “it is better to greet the deaf and let it be established that he did not hear let alone responding.” It is heart warming to hear that Ohaneze Ndi-Igbo is reaching out to Simon Ekpa.
On Tuesday July, 25 an unavoidable riot broke out in Enugu after the government sealed traders’ shops at Ogbete main market for failure to adhere to government’s directives on sit-at-home. One person unfortunately was reported killed as security operatives who attempted to restore law and order clashed with protesters. Does attempt by government to restore order enough to cause loss of life? Again, does the governor have the power to seal the shop of an individual who chose not to open for business on a certain day? Threatening civil servants with dismissal and sealing of traders’ shops simply to force them to comply with government directive when the same government cannot provide commensurate security measures to forestall attacks on people is ill-advised. Government should be more proactive and less reactive.