Anti-Sit-at-Home Directive: Well Done, Obiano

There can only be one recognized government at any point in time in a civilized society. Anything other than this leads to chaos. It is therefore the duty of a recognized government to ensure the existence of law and order.

A look at happenings in the Southeast recently has however revealed what appears to be a gradual setting in of anarchy occasioned by the activities of non-state actors as represented by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.

This group which has been in the forefront of the achievement of a new Biafran Nation, had earlier called for what it described as a sit-at-home compliance by the people of the Southeast Zone every Monday in protest over the arrest and detention of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu. This call had been largely successful because of two factors: fear and loyalty.

While those with sympathies for IPOB had been observing it, others, a vast majority, had succumbed to fear and stayed home. Their fear had arisen because of the brutal fate suffered by those who failed to heed the call to stay home. Those people had either been killed or had their property destroyed.

The sit-at-home had also caused schoolchildren in the zone to miss their Mathematics examination in NECO; a development that had been roundly condemned in many quarters.

Probably cowed by the outrage following the missing of that paper by students of the zone, the IPOB high command reportedly called off their directive and said the sit-at-homes would only be on the days Kanu would appear in court.

But despite the purported suspension of the sit-at-home, some hoodlums sympathetic to IPOB had continued to harass, attack and kill people. One of the ghastliest of such was the destruction of a trailer carrying motorcycles belonging to Igbo traders worth millions of Naira in Nsukka.

Indeed, the failure of IPOB’s high command to control their recalcitrant members led some people to declare that IPOB had created monsters they could not control; something some people with foresight had warned against.

As markets, banks and other institutions in the zone continued to remain shut on Mondays, the Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, joined some of his fellow governors of the zone to warn market leaders to ensure their markets were open every Monday henceforth or have the leadership of those markets removed. He also directed banks to open or risk being shut down.

Last Monday, Obiano and his state executive council members visited Eke Awka Market and banks in the capital to ensure compliance. It was reported that the banks and the Eke Awka Market opened for business. It was also noticed that the Awka capital witnessed much improved business activity that Monday, giving hope that life would return to normal sooner than later.

We commend Gov Obiano for walking his talk by going round to monitor and ensure compliance to his order for businesses to open. Though government’s action was a bit late in coming, no time is however late in taking action that will return sanity to the state. A situation where hoodlums masquerading as Biafra activists hold law abiding citizens to ransom is never going to be acceptable.

It really seemed as though some people who are worth nothing were intent on reducing others to their level of nothingness, despite arguments against their stand. Just last Monday we got a report that members of IPOB sacked students from a school in Imo State and set fire to teacher motorcycles.

This is nothing but barbaric and those behind it are nothing but criminals who should be treated as such.

But we are aware that this madness called sit-at-home had thrived for as long as it did because of the inaction of constituted authorities across the Southeast Zone.

This is why we are happy that at last the Anambra State Government joined others to attempt to put a stop to what we consider a meaningless action by the Biafra agitators who have refused to understand that their action of sitting at home will in no way affect the Federal Government.

We commend the Anambra State Government on their decision to stamp out the IPOB menace. Allowing non-state actors to hold the state hostage would only invite anarchy. Those not ready to submit to the leadership of Obiano are advised to leave the state as there can never be two masters in a house.