{"id":9839,"date":"2021-10-18T12:27:48","date_gmt":"2021-10-18T12:27:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsreservoir.com\/?p=9839"},"modified":"2021-10-18T12:27:48","modified_gmt":"2021-10-18T12:27:48","slug":"enough-of-this-weve-lost-so-much-to-sit-at-home-igbo-traders-residents-declare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsreservoir.com\/?p=9839","title":{"rendered":"Enough of this, we\u2019ve lost so much to sit-at-home, Igbo traders, residents declare"},"content":{"rendered":"<div dir=\"auto\">Enough of this, we\u2019ve lost so much to sit-at-home, Igbo traders, residents declare<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9840\" src=\"https:\/\/newsreservoir.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/IMG_20211018_0734-300x294.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"294\" srcset=\"https:\/\/newsreservoir.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/IMG_20211018_0734-300x294.jpg 300w, https:\/\/newsreservoir.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/IMG_20211018_0734-768x751.jpg 768w, https:\/\/newsreservoir.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/IMG_20211018_0734-696x681.jpg 696w, https:\/\/newsreservoir.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/IMG_20211018_0734-429x420.jpg 429w, https:\/\/newsreservoir.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/IMG_20211018_0734.jpg 785w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Sam Obinna Ibe, Umuahia, Okechukwu Onuegbu, Awka, EgwuAgha Amarachukwu, Abakaliki, Chuks Nweze, Enugu and Chidiebere Iwuoha, Owerri<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">The sit-at-home ordered by the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) across the five states of the South-east is fast impacting negatively on the populace, as\u00a0 business owners and residents alike\u00a0 have cried out in anguish to say they have had enough.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0From Abia to Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo and Anambra states, the trend remains the same as businesses have remained under lock and key while owners continue to comply with the IPOB order for fear of being attacked by the secessionists.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">The order, which is to protest the continued detention of IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, commenced some two months ago.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Though to be observed whenever the IPOB leader surfaces in court, it has however become a permanent feature as people are afraid to come out to avoid possible attack.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Moreover, the group also declared the observance of the order every Monday.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">The order intensifies as Kanu appears in court Wednesday to continue with his trial over alleged \u201cterrorism, treason, running an illegal company, publishing defamatory material and illegal possession of firearms.\u201d<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0Abia<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0In Abia state, where there was partial compliance last week, for instance business owners who dared the order forcefully shut down when news filtered that hoodlums were attacking Ohiya Mechanic village, Umuahia over\u00a0 non-compliance.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0While there were skeletal services at the state secretariat, only one lawmaker was sighted by one of our reporters during a visit to the 24-member state legislature.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0Although no serious incidents or loss of lives as witnessed in other states within the region, the sit-at-home order has impacted negatively on the economic life of both the people and government.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">In specific terms, those who earn their livelihood from daily earnings are not finding things easy.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0According to the residents, the situation has become so appalling that they, in unison, called for an end to the order for normalcy to resume.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0Speaking on the development, President Umuahia Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (UCCIMA) Chief Nkem Chidi Aruoma said\u00a0 the \u2018Monday order\u2019\u00a0 is badly hitting\u00a0 the economy of the state\u00a0 as well as those of the states in the region.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0The UCCIMA boss, who\u00a0 noted with dismay the economic loss worth millions of Naira, further said\u00a0 business owners\u00a0 do not open shops for business transactions on sit at home days.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0He also said businessmen from neighbouring Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Rivers states would prefer to visit other states\u00a0 free of restriction orders than coming to Abia state.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0\u201cWhen businesses are not open, it affects both individual businessmen and government\u2019s revenue base ,including the poor masses who hawk pure water for their living.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cEvery day there is sit- at-home, we lose hundreds of millions of naira. Transporters are not bringing out their vehicles on the road, shop owners are not opening for business, we are begging the agitators to have a change of mind before the South East is completely killed,\u201d Aruoma said.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Also, General Manager\u00a0 Abia State\u00a0 Passengers Integrated Manifest Safety Schemes (ASPMISS) Chief\u00a0 Ezinwa Abiri (JP) noted that Monday sit- at-home order\u00a0 was\u00a0 hitting the agency\u2019s revenue base \u2018below\u00a0 the belt.\u2019<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0Prior to the order, he said ASPMISS as a self-sustaining agency used to pay salaries before the end of the month because they were generating revenue, saying \u201cthe agency has lost between N6 million to N8 million within these two months the sit-at- home order lasted.\u201d<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0A female operator of Lotto games from Aba road Umuahia who craved anonymity, said the order has affected the volume of patronage.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0When Blueprint sought the reaction of a traditional ruler in the state, he turned down our request.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0And amidst all this, the state government has assured citizens to go about their lawful businesses, saying there is no cause for alarm.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0Anambra<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">In Awka, Anambra state, Blueprint reports that residents are passing through pains and agonies, while students missed their examinations and events rescheduled all in observance of the order.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Also,\u00a0 with less than a month to the state\u2019s governorship election, some political parties cancelled or postponed open campaigns, with some others taking theirs to Anambra residents at Lagos, Abuja, Rivers, Delta and so on., even as many others launched and maintained only online campaigns.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cWe can\u2019t do anything for now. I will open my shops only when I see that people have done that too. I don\u2019t want to die or lose my wares. Would govt feed my family? They are telling us to open shops but it won\u2019t be possible unless we, the traders and markets agree to do if there is improved security. Truly, it is affecting us. We now have only five days to trade in the week,\u201d a trader, Mr Sunday Egwuatu noted.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">An economist and former governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof. Charles Soludo, at a recent stakeholders\u2019 meeting posited that Anambra state alone lost a sum of N19.6billion at every sit-at-home.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Although IPOB later announced cancellation of the order as well as its enforcement, people are still observing it out of fear of the unknown.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Unknown gunmen and rival cult groups seemed to have latched on the \u2018loophole.\u2019<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Casualty figures<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">From September 28 to October 11, 2021, not less than twenty persons have been gunned down by hoodlums in the state. Among them are Dr Chike Akunyili, husband of the late Minister of Information, Prof. Dora Akunyili; and Dr Lawrence Ezenwa. Vehicles, houses and other valuables were also set ablaze across the state.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">At a recent interview with State House Press Corps, Governor Willie Obiano exonerated IPOB from the killings.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">On why he was not at meeting of the south-east governors, the governor had said: \u201cHow did you expect me to sit down at table and discuss security with those who are sponsoring the insecurity and killings in my state? All I know is that we are going to find out the hoodlums and bring them to book!\u201d he stated.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">In a broadcast to people of the state September ending, the governor said:\u201dNdi Anambra, these attacks and accompanying deaths cannot be justified and must stop now. I have therefore conducted an extensive security meeting and have directed all Security Agencies to step up and confront this monster ravaging our land. I charge everyone involved in the security architecture of Anambra State to take very seriously, this threat to our livelihood and boldly rise to confront same.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cTraditional Rulers, Presidents General, Clergy men, Vigilante Groups and all leadership structures must now take responsibility and in conjunction with the Police, Military and other Law Enforcement Agencies, work to restore order immediately.\u201d<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">We \u2018re vindicated \u2013 IPOB<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Mr Emma Powerful, the IPOB media and publicity secretary said: \u201cWe are the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), under the able\u00a0 leadership of our Leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. We have always distanced ourselves from the senseless killings in Biafra land especially in Anambra and Imo States but some gullible fellows do not want to believe us. Now we have been vindicated by the recent confession by Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State on why he did not attend the meeting of South East governors in Enugu.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cFor the umpteenth time, let\u2019s restate that we have no hands in the senseless killings of innocent citizens in Biafra land especially Imo and Anambra States.\u201d<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0From January till date, Anambra has hosted four commissioners of police. They are John Abang who was moved following his promotion to the rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG).<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">The rest are Monday Bala Kuryas, February 18 to April 29; Chris Owolabi, April 30 to September 9; Tony Olofu, September 10 to October 7; and the current CP, Echeng Owolo, who assumed duty October 8.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0Ebonyi<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">In a related development, there are also cries from business owners and individuals in Awka, Ebonyi state.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">In an interview with Blueprint, the state Commissioner for Commerce and Industry and Businesses Development, Dr Stephen Odo\u00a0 said businesses and economy of Southeast had been affected.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Odo sued for peace and pleaded with the IPOB to adopt a more acceptable approach in driving their demand home.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0He said: \u201cFor business to grow, we really need peace not just peace but peaceful environment and serene environment, environment that has ability to stir confidence in the mind of people . Businesses entails people moving from one point to another point, and if at any point there is insecurity, nobody will want to move.\u201d<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0\u201cAnd here we are in southeast we are suffering a self-inflicted problem because in self-inflicted problems, nobody achieves result by punching itself. For me southeast is just inflicting itself.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cWe are a region that is known by trade, by commerce and it involves day- to- day business transaction and activities. So, anything that hinders business activities is actually destroying the economy of the southeast and this is our pride,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Businesses relocating from southeast<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0The commissioner also hinted that businesses were relocating from the southeast region.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cI may not have the data but it is obvious that when there are security challenges, people begin to take different decisions, so nobody can say it\u2019s not possible that a lot of persons, for a strange happening, must have left the region. It is possible because people look for environment where their businesses are secured, we are no longer assuring our investors that kind of security that we need to have.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0\u201cSoutheast used to be exceptional in terms of investment designations, southeast is notable for a peaceful coexistence, this is completely strange to our culture, this is completely strange to our environment, this is completely strange to the known ideology of the southeast, so it is possible that a lot of businesses are leaving. Imagine some banks closing up for a whole day or three times in a week, so it is possible that a lot of businesses may have considered looking for another safer region even closing some branches, and I think the earlier we address that the better for us,\u201d the commissioner further said.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0Enugu<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">It\u2019s same story in Enugu state where one of our correspondents quoted the apex Igbo cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo,\u00a0 as pleading\u00a0 than an end be to the sit-at-home order.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0Ohanaeze National Publicity Secretary Chief Alex Ogbonnia said if IPOB failed to stop the order, they might lose the respect and solidarity of the Igbo people, pointing out that their leader, Kanu loves the people and would not want the Igbo land to suffer unduly.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0\u201cI do not think the IPOB which Nnamdi Kanu represents would like to inflict hardship and injuries on Ndigbo.\u00a0 They would be playing into the hands of hoodlums even when IPOB has suspended the weekly sit-at-home, some hoodlums hijacked it and went on killing, maiming and destroying Igbo property.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0\u201cThey, IPOB, will lose the solidarity and sympathy of the people.\u00a0 In the process, the essence would\u00a0 become questionable and will become counterproductive,\u201d Ogbonnia said.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Also making similar plea, Speaker of the state\u00a0 House of Assembly,\u00a0 Chief Edward Ubosi, urged IPOB to let go of the order to save Igbo people from hunger and starvation, noting that many depended on daily sales and services to survive.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cIt is necessary to note that the sit-at-home exercise being embarked upon in the Southeast zone is a great disservice to our people.\u00a0 This is because our people who mainly depend on buying and selling can no longer move about to fend for themselves.\u00a0 This is a time bomb,\u201d the lawmaker said.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0However, many continued to comply with the order for fear of being killed or injured.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cMe, go to market?\u00a0 I\u2019ll not go to market until this thing is over.\u00a0 I know that I am losing money any time I did not go but I\u2019ll not go out and risk my life,\u201d James Okoh a trader who deals in foodstuff at Garriki Market, Awkunanaw, Enugu said.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0On the effect of the order, a former minister of power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo said: \u201cI foresee blood bath.\u00a0 \u00a0Criminals have been posting names on the social media who are abroad causing trouble in Igbo land.\u00a0 I foresee a gang war and a bloodshed in Igbo land.\u201d<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0\u201cSit at home today, sit at home tomorrow, what for?\u00a0 Who are those suffering these things? Is it not my people, our people?\u00a0 When I talk, they say I should concentrate on preaching the gospel,\u201d said the Roman Catholic Bishop of Nsukka Diocese, Bishop Godfrey Igwebuike Onah.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0Imo<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Like all other states in the region, the weekly protest has continued to render all commercial banks, shopping malls, markets and business centres in Imo state\u00a0 inactive.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">A staff one of the banks along Bank Road in Owerri,\u00a0 the state capital, who pleaded anonymity said\u00a0 the\u00a0 protest \u201chas really affected bank businesses in particular and the country\u2019s economy in general as the usual turnover is not recorded.\u201d<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0\u201cSince it started, the normal business atmosphere has disappeared as they open towards afternoon sometimes and don\u2019t open at all some other times for fear of their facilities being destroyed.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cLack of security from the state government has made it difficult to open.\u00a0 We feel that the government cannot provide enough security with which to fight for us when they come to enforce the order, so as a result, we prefer to lock up everywhere till the next day. And this makes our customers patronize Point On Sale( POS) operators scattered all over the place. This situation also makes us to have\u00a0 an uncontrollable mammoth crowd every Tuesday which slows down business, even at our Automated Teller Machines(ATMs).\u201d<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0In the same vein, traders in the markets and other business centres\u00a0 also suffered similar economic losses resulting from lockdown.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">For Madam Oluchi who deals in rice and beans\u00a0 in cups and paint containers at the World Bank Market Owerri, replenishing their stocks has become difficult.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Also, for\u00a0 Uche, a\u00a0 Toyota spare parts dealer\u00a0 at Alaba Market at Naze, most of his customers come Mondays.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cThis means the sit-at-home has taken my customers and the money which would have gone into my pocket on that day. I suggest, we re-strategise for a better protest which will not affect our businesses as Ndi Igbo. You know we have families that we cater for,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0Same pains are also shared by operators of\u00a0 commercial vehicles, commuters as well as residents, just as education which is the greatest industry in the state continues to suffer.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0For instance, a parent,\u00a0 James Ajomiwe had complained about how his\u00a0 wards missed their English papers during one of the national examinations.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Way forward<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">On the way out, Hon. Vincent Anthony Ubani, Director General, Nigerian Corporate Social Responsibility Fund, said all states in the region should allow the youth and people\u2019s choice to prevail against the wishes of the few.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Ubani also appealed to the federal government to fast track release of\u00a0 \u00a0the detained IPOB leader and other Nigerians \u201cillegally\u201d held hostage by the security apparatus.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Condemnation trails order<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Also condemning the ugly scenario, the South East Igbo Youth Stakeholders said the order was negatively affecting lives, property and socio economic wellbeing of the people.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">The youth, through their spokesman, Mazi Chukwuma Okpalezeukwu, observed that the challenges facing the region cannot be divorced from angers of the youth against the system and leadership, and appealed for a larger stakeholders meeting where all would brainstorm on ways forward.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Similarly, leaders of Ohanaeze Nd\u2019Igbo worldwide and the Anambra State Association of Town Unions (ASATU), at a recent joint press conference, urged the federal government to listen to the voices of people as \u201cit has become difficult for the elders to control the youths due to the perceived inequality meted out on the South East people.\u201d<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">National Vice President of Ohanaeze Nd\u2019Igbo Worldwide, Chief Damian Okeke-Ogene and his ASATU counterpart, Chief Titus Akpudo, also sought release of Kanu and need for all regions in the country to be respected and treated equally.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">The religious institutions have also resorted to\u00a0 prayers at their various churches for an end to the mayhem and peaceful Anambra state November 6 governorship election.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Source: Blue Print<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Enough of this, we\u2019ve lost so much to sit-at-home, Igbo traders, residents declare Sam Obinna Ibe, Umuahia, Okechukwu Onuegbu, Awka, EgwuAgha Amarachukwu, Abakaliki, Chuks Nweze, Enugu and Chidiebere Iwuoha, Owerri The sit-at-home ordered by the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) across the five states of the South-east is fast impacting negatively on the populace, as\u00a0 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":9840,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9839","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.3.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Enough 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