IPOB: South East Economy Under Threat, Loses N10bn Daily-Umahi

By James Orji

The South East economy is losing over N10 billion daily each time the IPOB sit-at-home order is observed, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi state has said.

Umahi who doubles as the chairman of South east governors’ forum raised the concern as the region’s economic activities buckled under the Indigenous People’s of Biafra, IPOB’s order to people to stay away from work.

IPOB said the action is necessary to put pressure on the federal government to release, Nnamdi Kanu, the Supreme leader of the group who is being tried for various offences, including terrorism by the Buhari administration.

The IPOB leader was arrested in Kenya in July by the authorities of that country in conjunction with Nigerian security agencies, and top members of the group have either been neutralised or arrested by security agencies.

At a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, during his state visit to Imo state last week leaders from the zone had appealed to the president to release arrested IPOB members and dialogue with the group. Opinion leaders from the zone have repeatedly urged IPOB to stop its violence activities.

Speaking on the issue Umahi said the sit-at-home must not be allowed to continue, because of its potential to cripple the economy of the zone, adding that each time people stayed indoor the economy of the zone is suffering.

Governor Umahi and his counterpart in Anambra state, Willy Obiano had earlier threatened to sanction banks and market for obeying IPOB’s order.

“The markets should open. If they do not open, I would sack the leadership of the market and shut the market,” Obiano told traders at a meeting. Invisible voice says ‘sit at home?’ And, you just comply and lose money. You don’t know who says sit-at-home, you just lose money.

“You need to help us to solve this nonsense. It is absolute nonsense. That’s a warning. If you don’t do that, we will change your leadership,” Obiano said a fortnight ago after it was reported that the state cumulatively lost over N30 billion since the first ‘Black Monday’ announced by IPOB on August 9.

Umahi who spoke during a State Dinner organized in honour of the former Chief of Army Staff and Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Republic of Benin, Tukur Buratai, in Abakaliki explained that the order was adversely affecting the economy of the region.

He said the state would no longer subscribe to incessant calls for sit-at-home within the region, warning civil servants who stay away from work that they will lose their jobs.

According to him, “evil will continue to thrive if good people keep quiet; we must make Ebonyi State very exceptional by rising to the challenges. When we shout true federalism, I say I agree but it should be administrative restructuring, Ebonyi State is not in support of any State collecting VAT, we are in support that FIRS should continue to collect tax and share.

“We are destroying our economy, the sit at home is not happening in South West, the North is not sitting at home, each time we sit at home, we lose over N10 billion in our economy, so Ebonyi State will not sit at home any day, so I charge the commissioners to go all out and ensure that Civil Servants come to work, and for the markets, I will personally be in the markets tomorrow, anyone who is no longer interested in owning shops can go home.”