Peter Mbah of Enugu State, weekend told President Bola Tinubu that the sit-at-home declared by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, across the South East has been brought to an end in the state, adding that they are no longer taking orders from non state actors.
The Governor disclosed this at the stakeholders meeting during President Tinubu’s official visit to Enugu State to commission projects executed by his administration.
The Governor, who was speaking on the security efforts being put in place by his administration noted that his dream for the state can be achieved when “security is guaranteed, quality education thrives, and citizens can access affordable healthcare.”
The governor outlined the steps taken to enhance public safety in the state, including ending “the illegal sit-at-home order imposed across the Southeast.”
He said, ‘We no longer observe sit-at-home in Enugu. Our people go to work every day of the week, and we no longer take orders from non-state actors.”
The governor told the President that the “courageous pronouncements you made to free up funds for development: the removal of fuel subsidy, the unification of the foreign exchange, and several social interventions that your government continues to provide for the people of this country.
“We are now essentially, with those funds freed, able to fully complete projects. And it’s not just physical infrastructure; social and digital infrastructure are going on,” the Governor said.
At the stakeholders meeting with South East leaders mainly from Enugu State, the President was attentive to the requests made by former Minister of Power Professor Chinedu Nebo and Enugu State indigene Chris Ugoh and responded with a commitment to address their concerns.
While applauding the Tinubu administration for completing the Port Harcourt to Aba section of the Eastern rail line, Nebo appealed to the President to prioritise the completion of the remaining portions of the rail link.
He emphasised the rail link’s potential to boost Nigeria’s non-oil exports and economic growth.
Ugoh noted that the Anambra Basin has the potential to support power generation and industrial feedstocks.
He appealed to the Federal Government to develop this resource to benefit the southeast and other regions of the country, including the Middle Belt and the North.
Onyemauche Nnamani, the National Commissioner representing the South East in the Police Service Commission, urged the Federal Government to implement modern security strategies in the region, akin to the statewide CCTV system and patrol cars with surveillance cameras in Enugu State.
Nnamani called on the federal government to de-emphasise the mounting of checkpoints and roadblocks in the region, saying, “It is inefficient and exposes our security personnel to attacks by non-state actors.”
