Politics
By Paul Nwosu
ANAMBRA State is known all over the world as a vibrant centre of commerce and industry. It attracted this fame because of the enterprising nature of her people who diligently work from Mondays through Saturdays.
But this culture of hard work has been truncated by the Monday sit-at-home and other varieties of sit-at-homes. There is no gainsaying that Anambra State and indeed the entire Southeast have been hemorrhaging economically, and some criminal elements have seized the opportunity to plunder, murder and abduct our people.
We all know that evil by a minority can only persist when the good people keep quiet. Ndi-Anambra are tired of keeping quiet and can no longer be oppressed by a tiny minority of miscreants claiming to be freedom fighters when we know they are actually engaged in barefaced criminality.
Our people are now boldly saying: “Enough is enough!” And given the removal of oil subsidy which has escalated the cost of living, Ndi-Anambra need to go about their normal businesses all the days of the week in order to make ends meet. We can no longer afford to stop work at the start of the week.
Within this inglorious period of sit-at-home our markets, parks and sundry businesses have continued to die, only to resurrect in Delta State. If those who come from far and wide to patronize our markets cannot find them open on a prime day of the week like MONDAY, they naturally have no option than to go to where they can get what they want. This is what has been happening for many months now, making us to be gradually losing that commercial identity for which we are known.
Our economy is panting for dear life. Our people are saying: “Ike agwugo anyi!” They cannot wait any longer to take back their MONDAYS, and the time to do that is now. Delay can be dangerous. There was a time in the late 1970s when criminals almost took over the commercial city of Onitsha until the traders united and struck back through the celebrated Boys’ O Yee uprising.
It has been estimated that Anambra State loses Billions of Naira because of the every Monday sit-at-home. The State is losing handsome revenue that helps to make her GDP and low employment rate the cynosure of the eyes of our fellow compatriots. This is no longer acceptable.
The question now is: Are we going to forfeit our collective economic well-being on the altar of the proclamation of a renegade who lives comfortably in faraway Finland in Europe? The answer is of course a resounding “No!” Anambra is saying yet again: “Enough is enough!”
Simon Ekpa’s excuse for shutting down the Southeast is to put pressure on the Abuja-based Federal Government to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. This does not make any sense at all as Abuja has shown that it does not feel the so-called pressure by Ekpa. So, it’s like winking at a lady in darkness.
It’s remarkable that even the authentic Nnamdi Kanu-led IPOB has repeatedly made statements disassociating itself from Ekpa’s murderous sit-at-home proclamations which have only allowed criminality to fester in Anambra State and Igbo land. Nnamdi Kanu has just ordered Simon Ekpa to stop the Sit-at-Home charade forthwith!
We are choking and we can no longer breathe. We want our Mondays back! That’s what our people are praying and saying. Anambra State Government is committed to bringing back the spark and bustle of Mondays to our markets, motor-parks, government offices, and schools.
To ensure that this happens on a sustainable basis, all the security agencies have been fully mobilized to be on red alert to protect lives and property through constant patrols and encampments at strategic locations. There is enough security in place to protect our people. There is no reason whatsoever to fear. As President Roosevelt of America who saved the United States from the Great Depression said, “The only thing to fear is fear itself.”
Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo (CFR) has reassured us all that fear is neither here nor there because the tiny minority oppressing the majority of our people can be flushed out once there is unity amongst us all. So, let’s all unite to take back our Mondays in Anambra State.
As a good citizen of Anambra State, you should immediately say something when you see something bad happening. That is the only way we can end this criminal onslaught on our peaceful way of living.
Here are the numbers to call:
09093170790 09187514891
07039896429 09168041120
09017280990 08124153139
09076237441 07039194332
08093175528
Odinma anyi di anyi n’aka!
***Paul Nwosu is the commissioner for Information, Anambra State
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July 30, 2023 @ 5:21 GMT|
Tags: Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. Simon Ekpa
