Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the Pan-Igbo socio-cultural organization, has warned against the harsh effects of the planned one week sit-at-home directive by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the southeast region.
In a statement by its Secretary-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro on Tuesday, against the backdrops of the planned exercise by the pro-Biafra group, Ohanaeze, maintained that the planned one week sit-at-home declared by the group was gradually having severe and destructive impacts on the genuine quest of the people to enhance and harness the economic potentials of the southeast for her development.
It was gathered that the pro-Biafra group had insisted to shut down the entire Igboland as parts of demands, for unconditional release of its detained leader, Onyendu Nnamdi Kanu, who is currently facing treasonable felony charges before Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako-led Federal High Court in Abuja.
Continuing, the Engr Chidi Ibe-led Ohanaeze Ndigbo, revealed that proponents of sit-at-home are envoys, on a move to destroy the only remaining assets(commerce) of the Igbos, in the face of external detractors, regretting that southeast had recorded exits of local and foreign investors from the region in the last two months, which, according to the group, created high level of unemployment, loss of jobs and disruption of the academic calendar, as the Ndigbo must cease it henceforth.
The highest socio-cultural group, noted with dismay that, the fact that successive and current Nigeria system had treated south-easterners in bad morality and faith, we must not resort to path of self destruction, advising the people of the southeast not to affiliate with those he alleged, remotes Ndigbo from overseas.
According to the Igbo body, “proponents of sit-at-home are not observing the exercise at abroad where they residents. In Asia, Europe, and America, ndigbo are wiser now than before. No more sit-at- home. We are in support of out-of-court settlements that will make Nnamdi Kanu regain his freedom, not through absurd enslavement of the people with the one week planned sit-at-home exercise”.
Ohanaeze further rechoed the call for genuine dialogue between internally displaced Igbo politicians and the people, especially, to end the revolt against the elites.
It said, “We observed that Igbos’ loyalty to non state actors has been abused, as they have pounced on the confidence of Ndigbo, through the absurdity of sit-at-home, and which also is conceived to obliterate the established investments in region owned by southeast elites and politicians. These proponents of sit-at-home are not local investors, entrepreneurs and importers. The idea of sit-at-home is geared towards the destruction of targeted established investments of corrupt politicians and elites since they are without any visible investments.
“The past sit-at-home by IPOB had destroyed the academic activities, small businesses, and artisans who depend on daily trade and services to feed their households. IPOB leaders don’t have any visible investments in the southeast, they are only using Ndigbo as baits and pawns against the Igbo political class especially on Anambra elections. The consequences of their actions might be detrimental and pernicious to the point where federal government will eventually deploy the super tuscon fighter jets to the southeast, in pretense to quell the fallout from the one week sit-at-home. Ndigbo should henceforth break from the local siege of proponents of sit-at-home without investments in the southeast zone”, the apex body concluded.
