IPOB’s Sit-at-home order and the south east economy, by Kazeem Akintunde
In the last five years in the five South Eastern states of Anambra, Imo, Abia, Enugu, and Ebonyi, Mondays have been declared sit-at-home days, meaning a no-work day. The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), in 2021, ordered that Mondays be observed as a no-work-day in those states in solidarity with their leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who was arrested in Kenya, and ferried back home to face prosecution over his agitation for the creation of Biafra Republic out of Nigeria.
The sit-at-home protests, enforced by IPOB and its militant wing, the Eastern Security Network, since 2021, has transformed from a symbolic act of dissent into a protracted crisis, with devastating socioeconomic and security consequences for the region. There are reports that more than 776 lives have been lost to the activities of unknown gunmen during these times.
Imo and Anambra states hold the record for more than half of these deaths. Besides this, the region has suffered staggering losses, including N7.6 trillion in economic damages and systemic disruptions to education, governance, and livelihoods.
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Initially rooted in legitimate grievances over marginalisation and the detention of Kanu, the movement has been hijacked by violence, criminality, and internal fragmentation, eroding public support and deepening instability.
Small businesses, according to SBM Intelligence, lost about N4.6 trillion every year since its commencement, while transport companies lose between N10 billion and N13 billion every Monday when violent groups enforce the shutdown. These losses stem from widespread market closures, disrupted supply chains, and the inability of businesses, particularly SMEs, to operate effectively. The impact is evident in both urban and rural areas.
Large commercial hubs like Onitsha Main Market, one of Africa’s largest, has been repeatedly forced to close, resulting in missed transactions and financial strain for traders and consumers.
Even with the absence of Nnamdi Kanu, Simon Ekpe, became the self-styled second in command, and from his base in Poland, continued to direct the enforcement of the sit-at-home order.
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His eventual arrest and prosecution outside the shores of the country did not bring an end to the sit-at-home, as many of the local enforcers had succeeded in instilling fear into the minds of the locals back home. Any trader that tries to open their stall on Mondays for business was dealt with. Some were killed, while others had their businesses destroyed.
There seemed to be little or nothing many of the state governors in the region could do, as most of them were sympathetic to the cause of Kanu. But after more than two years and with the crisis still dragging, some state governors now feel that the time is ripe to nip the crisis in the bud. The economic toll it is having on their states’ economies is enormous and the idea is no longer sustainable.
However, they are having a tough time convincing their people on the need to shelve the strikes and bring things back to normal. States like Enugu, Ebonyi, and Abia are doing all within their power to put a stop to the sit-at-home order. Peter Mbah, the Governor of Enugu state, imposed penalties for compliance with the sit-at-home order, which helped bring some normalcy back to Enugu.
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He ensured that civil servants that did not show up for work on Mondays went home with a pay cut at the end of the month; provided security for market men and women that are willing to work on Mondays, whilst also sealing shops that remained closed, all in a bid to resuscitate economic activities by showing that it was safe and mandatory to return to normal Monday routines.
In Abia State, Governor Alex Otti implemented a combination of strong security measures and public engagement to reduce the impact of the Monday sit-at-home order. He directed all security agencies to deploy at all flashpoints and conduct regular patrols to protect law-abiding citizens and deter any enforcer of the order.
He also engaged directly with various stakeholders in the state including IPOB and community leaders on why the sit-at-home order should be discarded, emphasising that it has no legal backing and that it is economically destructive. Again, civil servants were lured back to work and those who failed to show had their salaries deducted.
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In Ebonyi State, both the former Governor, Dave Umahi and the current Governor, Francis Nwifuru took the fight to militant groups by directing security agents to deal with miscreants fomenting trouble in the state. Umahi, now Minister of Works, established the Ebubeagu Security outfit to maintain daily patrols to prevent harassment of citizens by IPOB enforcers.
This has led to improved security across the state as he charged the Nigerian Army to intensify efforts to end the order, whilst approving a reward system to boost the morale of security personnel.
To address the root causes of youth restiveness, his administration has launched vocational training and entrepreneurship support programmes to create sustainable jobs within the state.
On his part, the Anambra State Governor, Professor Charles Soludo, in an attempt to kick-start the economy of the state, directed an end to the sit-at-home order few weeks ago. However, traders at the Onitsha Main Market felt otherwise.
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On Monday last week, majority of them stayed away from their stalls and a shocked Soludo ordered the closure of the market for one week. Prior, he ensured that he addressed the concerns of the traders by meeting Nnamdi Kanu in prison, who assured him that he did not order the sit-at-home.
Again, he said that 150 security men were posted to the market to ensure that hoodlums did not attack any trader that chooses to open for business. In addition, Soludo noted that the Onitsha Main Market was opened throughout the Christmas and New Year festivities without any incident. He wondered what went wrong and why the traders started closing their stalls again after the New Year.
‘’If they are willing to listen to the proscribed IPOB not to work on Monday, I will add another six days to it to make it one week so that they could have adequate rest.’’ It was at this point that all hell broke loose. Rather than abide with the directives of the Governors, the traders took to the streets to protest what they termed forced closure of the market and dared Soludo to do his worst.
The following day, the traders again took their protest to the Onitsha Head bridge, where they blocked vehicular movements of those travelling in and out of the state. It took the intervention of the police led by the Anambra Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, to disperse the traders from the bridge.
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Soludo has now threatened to shut down the market completely if the traders remain recalcitrant, saying that he could revoke the market title and convert the space to a public school.
If there is one person that should know more about the economic implication of the Monday’s market closure, it should be Soludo. A former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Soludo has told whoever cared to listen that the economy of the state is bleeding and that drastic measures had to be taken to get the economy back on track.
Indeed, the extensive economic haemorrhage of the aforementioned states is multiplied by the fact that most people in the Southeast operate in the informal sector as traders, shop owners, artisans, craftsmen, transporters, industrialists, wholesalers, and retailers of motley merchandise.
Shutting down the economic space and closing schools in the entire zone has become counterproductive to whatever point IPOB may be making. On several occasions, students have had to miss external examinations fixed for Mondays as nothing could be done to salvage the situation. Many students in the zone have lost countless schooling days.
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This has created significant educational disadvantage for an entire generation, jeopardising their future and long-term development of the region.
Access to healthcare and other essential services have also become perilous on the enforced lockdown day.
Apart from that, the sit-at-home order is also indicative of a larger erosion of political authority and serial failure of the State to restore law, order, and security. If non-state actors can order the closure of markets throughout the region and state governors are having a tough time reversing such directives, it goes to show where authority actually lies.
Foreign investors are no longer willing to operate in the South east region due to the spate of insecurity occasioned by the mindless killings of innocent Nigerians. Now, Soludo has vowed to make sure that economic activities return to the state on Mondays. “We are determined in the fight.
We are prepared, enough is enough. I am concerned because the people have given me permission to be their chief servant, it is for the sake of our children, the poor people who depend on the market for daily survival.
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This fight is to secure Anambra and reassure our investors that Anambra is not a four-day work week; there is a full working week in this state. People; civil servants, and traders must come out on Mondays. For us, this is a moment of reckoning. The calculated economic sabotage to bring down Onitsha must be tackled and on behalf of the Anambra people, we will tackle it head-on. We have exercised enough restraint. Anybody saying he didn’t open for business because of insecurity is just delusional.
Insecurity allows you to go to the stadium to play, it allows you to do workouts on the streets, but it doesn’t allow you to open your shop.”
The proponents of the order should realise by now that they have done more harm than good with the directive, and a great damage to the economy of the region. It is quite clear that the sit-at-home order won’t force the federal government to release Kanu.
It is the local economy that has taken a hit and now is the time to bring the whole charade to a stop. Those canvassing for the release of Kanu should come up with another strategy, as the sit-at-home has actually set back the economy of the region by several years. In the part of the country where I came from, it is said that you do not cut your nose to spite your face.
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The south east region must be allowed to grow. The people are hardworking and their progress should not be limited or curtailed by the mindless sit-at-home order that further impoverishes the people. Governor Soludo should be supported by all right-thinking individuals in the state to get the economy of the state back on track. Ending the Monday’s retrogressive sit-at-home order is a step in the right direction.
See you next week.
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