Enugu gov, Peter Mbah declares end to sit-at-home order, begs Tinubu to release Nnamdi Kanu

Peter Mbah, governor of Enugu state, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to release the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

Mbah made the appeal on Thursday, June 1, while listing out the decisions reached at the end of his first security council meeting with the heads of all the security agencies at the government house, Enugu.

Recall that Kanu was first arrested in 2015, but was granted bail in April 2017.

He fled the country after an invasion of his home in Afara-Ukwu, near Umuahia, Abia state, by the Nigerian military in September 2017.

However, he was re-arrested in Kenya and brought back to Nigeria in June 2021, four years after he fled the country.

The court of appeal, Abuja, in October 2022, held that the action was a flagrant violation of the country’s extradition treaty and also a breach of Kanu’s fundamental human rights.

The court, therefore, struck out the terrorism charges filed against Kanu by the federal government and ordered his release from the custody of the Department of State Service (DSS).

However, the federal government refused to release the IPOB leader insisting that he (Kanu) could be unavailable in subsequent court proceedings if released and that his release would cause insecurity in the south-east.

Mbah, while speaking on Thursday, said that, “I call on President Bola Tinubu to consciously work towards the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

“We believe that his release will expedite the healing process Nigeria needs at this time.

“It will also be a pointer to his administration’s extension of brotherly hands of fellowship to Ndigbo,” he added.

Mbah, while speaking on Monday sit-at-home order, declared that effective from Monday, June 6, 2023, there would be no such restrictions.

He added that such orders were restricting creativity, entrepreneurship, and productivity in the state.

Mbah, however, expressed his government’s readiness “to engage in dialogue with people, who have genuine grievances towards bringing lasting peace and security to Enugu state.”

The governor also reminded the people of Enugu that he had hit the ground running on the day of his inauguration by signing three executive orders for the good governance of the state, including executive order 002 for the removal of “Unauthorised street barriers across the state within 100 days.”

He said that, “There is no time to waste. The clock has started ticking on the mandate you gave me and the deliverables I promised.

“A time comes in the lives of a people when they must decide whether they genuinely want to move forward or remain stuck with the conditions of their underdevelopment.

“The creativity and sense of industry of Ndi Igbo are remarkable. Our DNA is wired with commercial and entrepreneurial prowess.

“If this is what we are known by, then it becomes inconsistent with reality that the spirit of entrepreneurship, commerce and creativity are killed every Monday in our land.

“Our restless spirit of industry abhors laxity and indolence.

“The idea behind sitting at home on Monday, the first working and business day of the week, is abominable and antithetical to greatness and the spirit of the industry we profess to have.

“This cannot be us. It does colossal damage to us,” the governor added.

Mbah reminded the people of the direct connection between the lofty promises he made to them and the vibrancy of commerce in the state.

He noted that, “For us to transit from a public service economy to a private sector-driven one, we must free our markets from the shackles of restriction to commerce.

“If indeed we aspire and anticipate an influx of private sector practitioners and investors in Enugu state, we must know that this will not happen where the perception of us is that of unproductive people.

“Therefore, those that go on strike on Mondays, putting restrictions in the way of our Igbo spirit of creativity, cannot be our true representatives.

“We know that our land is a fertile ground for commerce.

“However, businesses, entrepreneurship and commerce require a vibrant workforce and big markets where they can flourish and make money.

“To this end, therefore, from Monday, June 6, 2023, there will be no observance of any sit-at-home in all nooks and crannies of Enugu state.

“Government will enforce this with all the powers at its disposal.

“My charge to all of you, market men and women, the corporate world, industries, schools, civil servants, and all strata of workers in Enugu State, is for us to take back our sense of industry, pride of place and re-enact our glorious past.

“By heeding this call, you would have set us on the path of actualizing our mandate,” Mbah added.

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