An Igbo group, Igbo Youth Freedom, (IYF) and the – Authorities of Drivers Welfare Association (DWA), Anambra state have disassociated themselves from the planned every Monday sit-at-home order issued by Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, over its detained leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

In two separate statements issued in Onitsha yesterday the two groups enjoined all residents of the southeast to discountenance the order and go about their businesses.

According to the leader of IYF, Comrade Uche Okereke, “the sit-at-home order is a draconian order that devalued the economic interest of the Igbo who are managing to survive the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic after the severe first and second waves of the killer disease”

Patron of the Anambra Drivers Association, Pastor Obinna Anisiobi on his own part shortly after a demonstration carried out by their members, described such an exercise by IPOB as “futile and counter- productive”

He therefore warned any person or group planning to enforce the order on Mondays to desist as drivers and passengers are not ready to comply with it since it is highly against the economic interest of Ndigbo in particular and South East Geo-Political zone in general

Uche Okereke of IYF said “We condemn in strong terms the every Monday sit-at-home order as an ill wind that blows nobody good in Igbo land; it causes economic retrogression in Igbo land especially in the Southeast zone.”

“We would have been consulted as youths with other stakeholders before issuing such retrogressive economic order. With this order it means IPOB has been infiltrated by fake selfish interests who want to reap where they did not sow.

“There is nothing like every Monday sit-at-home order rather we allow for every arraignment day of Nnamdi Kanu as sit-at-home, in solidarity as we all want actualization of a sovereign state of Biafra,” he said.

Okereke however warned that, “there will be a serious protest in the event of the court not giving fair hearing to Kanu especially on the day of the judgment”.

He advised the Southeast governors, NASS members and Biafrans to disregard the order and go about their legitimate business on the said
Mondays.

Authorities of Drivers Welfare Association (DWA), Anambra state called on the state police command and other sister security agencies to deploy their men to all nooks and crannies of the state to ensure that the drivers and their passengers and goods are not molested on the road but adequately protected”.

According to Anisiobi, “in as much as we the drivers are in support of any move to stop marginalization of Southeast zone and Ndigbo in particular, this fragrant abuse of and indiscriminate sit-at-home order does not augur well for the economic emancipation of the down trodden and as such not necessary since Kanu’s case is not coming up in court this Monday for hearing.

Anisiobi contended that more so, this year’s harvest season has just begun and farmers from rural areas would need the assistance of drivers to convey their farm crops to various markets within and outside Anambra state and as such, would not like their transport activities to be disrupted as a result of the sit-at-home exercise.

“We want to align ourselves with Ohanaeze Ndigbo and Governor Willie Obiano who had previously called on Ndigbo to disregard the sit-at-home exercise and go about their normal businesses as law abiding citizens”. He said.

(Daily Sun)

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