Umahi dismisses IPOB Oct. 1 sit-at-home, says ‘All flags in Ebonyi will fly high’
By Chinwe Imo-Eze Onwosi
Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi has said the people of the state would ignore the October 1st sit-at-home order by the Indigenous People of Biafra as according to him, all flags in Ebonyi will fly even higher against the directive of IPOB.
Umahi who said this on Thursday in Abakaliki while while briefing newsmen at the end of an Enlarged Security Council Meeting at the New Government House, Abakaliki revealed that the sit at home order has negative implications on the economy, and deadly threats to the security of life and property.
“He said, since the sit-at- home order got weight of reality in Ebonyi, the state residents have been suffering deprivations affecting their livelihoods and therefore, chose to recuperate the losses by going their normal businesses as usual.
“Ebonyi people have been so much deprived in the past, turning to house boys and girls, and we are in hurry to catch-up with others. So, we are not going to be sitting down at home, even some of us after Sunday service will be working to buy more time to catch-up with our paymasters. So, anybody saying sit-at-home, Ebonyi people will not sit-at-home,” the governor said.
Umahi who is also the Chairman of the South East Governors’ Forum, appealed to the people of the zone to understand the dangers of the sit-at-home order and stop compliance.
“I’m appealing entire South-East people to understand the dangers of this sit-at-home order. Those orchestrating this sit-at-home are our brothers outside this country, paid per hour and they found it comfortable for them to be at work, instructing us to sit at home. If they truly mean it, for us to sit at home, all the South East people in outside the country should be sincere, and any day they want us to sit at home, they should all sit at home, to know whether they will not be repatriated if they have nothing to pay for the means of their livelihoods,” he added.
He noted that none of the dead victims of the sit-at-home order were the members of the agitators, but the innocent citizens going about their normal businesses.
” Those who are being killed here in confrontation with security agencies, they are our children, they are our sons and daughters belonging to some of us who are at home. So, I want us to disregard this sit-at-home. Nobody all over the world is against peaceful agitations including agitations at home.”
He condemned the rising cases of insecurity in the South East especially the murder of Dr Chike Akunyili in Anambra recently and described the act as un-cultural in Igbo land.
“We condemn in totality the insecurity in south-east orchestrated by our own people that is tagged unknown gunmen and I appeal on behalf of the governors that this should come to a stop. We are very mobile people, restricting our people is to destroy us and I am sure that every man and woman in south-east knows that.
“We strongly condemn the ugly killing of Dr Chike, a notable medical Doctor and we don’t know the reason for that killing and other killings not less than 12 within the past weeks. It is so terrible and so bad, fear has been inflicted on our people and this is very un-cultural. We appeal to these youths to lay down their arms.
“I don’t know why there should be insecurity, I don’t know why there should be killings, I don’t know why they should inflict fears in the minds of our people. This is very uncalled for and I am warning that the south-east people, their youths may one day rise up against these very few people doing this thing. It is a total war against our people and we are calling that it should stop. He said.
