Enugu Commercial Drivers Count Losses As Sit-At-Home Persists

Some commercial drivers in Enugu metropolis say coming out for businesses on Mondays is becoming a nightmare for them due to the reluctance of the residents to come out.

Sit-at-home on Mondays was instituted by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, in 2021 across South-east states to pressurise South-East stakeholders to champion the freedom of IPOB detained leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. Kanu is being detained over alleged running a proscribed group, jumping bail and treason.

Joseph Eze was seen at New Market bus stop calling for passengers on Monday. He said, “I drove from Abakpa to New Market carrying one passenger. To load back to Abakpa, I have been calling for passengers for two hours. One passenger will come, wait inside the bus for sometime and leave. I bought N3, 000 worth of fuel. Recovering it is becoming impossible.”

Innocent is another driver. His route is Old Park to Emene. He said, “In the past two weeks or so, Mondays have become something else. Nothing is moving on. Before, people were gradually coming out for businesses on Mondays. It’s like the sit-at-home is just starting all over again. The fear of attacks is the main reason.”

A driver of a bus plying through Enugu-Nsukka road said, “I come out for business on Mondays from 3pm. I want to be sure that no attacks were reported before coming out. If I read anything about attacks, I stay back because life has no duplicate.”

Gov Peter Mbah, some weeks ago, banned sit-at-home, saying the order runs contrary to his administration’s quest to grow the state gross domestic products.

A trader at Ogbete Main Market, who declined to be mentioned, said, “Our governor meant well, but it seems his approach is not favourable to our people. Before now, businesses were gradually being carried out on Mondays. But since he declared its ban and his subsequent deployment of security personnel to protect the citizenry, the fear has increased because IPOB has vowed to continue the sit-at-home.

“Maybe it would have been better to persuade business stakeholders to commence businesses without formally daring IPOB. Many people see Nnamdi Kanu as a hero fighting for the liberation of our people from injustice. Again, why has the federal government refused to release him despite court orders?”

Recall that the Court of Appeal, Abuja, last year, described the manner Kanu was arrested in Kenya, and brought to Nigeria as extra-ordinary rendition, and discharged and acquitted him. However, former president Muhammadu Buhari refused to honour the ruling, instead sought a stay of execution at the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, a human rights activist, Larry Oguego, has called for non-kinetic approaches towards making Enugu residents comply with the ban on sit-at-home. He also said the FG ought to obey the court order, which discharged and acquitted Kanu.

In his words, “One of the things the state government requires first is the confidence of the people. As long as people are not assured of their safety, they will continue to sit at home. But we should understand that we operate in a democratic society because people have the right to sit at home.

“People have gotten used to sitting at home, and they feel that the government has no capacity to protect them. Engaging the stakeholders is not enough. The governor should engage influencers. Some traditional rulers are not popular because of the way they emerged. So nobody listens to them. Let the government first look at the real cause of the sit-at-home. There is a provision for self-determination in the African Charter. It is also there in the UN Convention.”