Former Governor of Enugu State, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani has asked the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to immediately stop its sit-at-home order.
Naija News reports that IPOB had declared a sit-at-home on Mondays, beginning August 9, to protest the detention and prosecution of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
Even though the group had suspended the order, residents of the South East have observed the order and businesses in the region had remained deserted on Mondays.
In a statement released on Sunday in Abuja, the Enugu Senator stated that the sit-at-home order given by the outlawed group has really affected the South-East economy negatively.
The lawmaker representing Enugu East in the National Assembly added that the order had crippled the economy and social life in the region.
Nnamani also condemned the attack on citizens who defied the IPOB directive, calling on the group to allow peace to return to the region.
The Senator stated that the trinity of the Igbo character was defined by hard work, adding that the sit-at-home was antithetical to this trait and a betrayal of Igbo interest.
The former governor, however, asked IPOB to stop the order immediately and allow residents of the region to return to their businesses.
”Most of our people live on the daily income. Think of the market women who depend on daily earnings to feed their families. Think of students writing external examinations being denied access to the venues.
”How does enslaving our people, denial of means of livelihood, add value to our quest for equity and justice? If others reject us, should we also reject ourselves?
”It stands to reason that this sit-at-home cannot be a way forward. We cannot abandon ourselves.
”In our struggle for equity and justice in the Nigerian federation, we cannot inadvertently inflict more injuries on ourselves by this sit-at-home order,” the statement reads.
This article was originally published on Naija News