By our reporter/ Ebonyi state governor Dave Umahi, on Monday explained that south-east residents are adhering to the sit-at-home order by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) despite the suspension out of fear.
Umahi, who made the disclosure shortly after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, warned that the economy of the region will be destroyed if the situation persists.
According to him, south-east leaders and Ohanaeze Ndigbo are working to address the grievances of the youths of the region.
“It is a question of fear.
“You know, the easiest thing to do is to carry a weapon and kill somebody, and that’s what happened in the past.
“And that’s why, you know, some people in the south-east are afraid of coming out. So it’s not a question of compliance. It’s a question of fear.
“You’ll find out that no south-east man wants to miss a day of work. They like to work, they are into trade, commerce, and they want to earn their daily living.
“So this is something that the nation Nigeria must know. And it’s something that security agencies must know. Security agencies must know that they owe south-east people the duty to protect their lives and this is the reason why it appears that in some states, there is compliance to sit at home, even though like you said, IPOB has said it’s suspended.
“But it’s the worst thing to happen to south-east because it will destroy the economy of south-east.”
The governor, therefore called on the people of south-east not to allow the region’s economy to be crippled.
Commenting on the 2023 presidential election, Umahi said it was “too early and distracting to talk about it”.
“My position is that our people that are in those political parties are making the efforts in selling the need for south-east to produce the next president, he said.
“But I think both the governors and Mr. President should not be distracted.”
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