Despite not including Tuesday, December 13, 2022, among the sit-at-home days in the south-eastern states, business activities were at their lowest point in the Enugu metropolis.
A survey conducted by THE WHISTLE in some of the higher institutions it showed low student participation. At the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu, located in Independence Layout, students were sparse.
Timothy Onugu is from the Department of Mass Communication. He said: “Many of us did not come because they think today is stay at home. Even some teachers did not come. This one is terrifying.”
At Enugu State Polytechnic, Enugu Campus, the story was the same. Although lectures were being given, the population was not impressive.
One speaker, Leo Kama, said: “The extension of sitting at home to a consecutive number of days is a bad development. Concerned bodies need to find solutions before it gets out of hand. Most of our students might not have come out of fear.”
Commercial drivers also have their complaints about low patronage. One of them said: “The passengers do not leave. They think that the sit-at-home extends to today. Some of the drivers returned home due to lack of sponsorship. You can imagine the cost of gasoline and the losses when driving without passengers.”
The main transport operators in Holy Ghost also witnessed low passenger participation. A manager of a mega transport company that runs the Abuja routes, Chike Agada, said: “The passengers did not show up. Our first bus was fully loaded around 10:30 am. Normally, we should be talking about the fifth bus.”
However, banks and service stations opened their doors. The same applies to government offices. At the state secretariat, along the old Abakaliki road, the government ministries were operating.
Mr. John Mbamalu, a civil servant, said: “I arrived early and the offices were open. The only thing is that the workers were not around. Many of them started coming to the office after confirming that today is not staying at home.”
Mr. Simon Ekpa, an acclaimed interim leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, has ordered a sit-in from December 9 to 14, 2022, except December 13, to sensitize the electorate in the south-east not to vote in the elections of 2023. The order has seen many casualties, with some lives and property lost in Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states.
House sit-ins are being seen in southeastern states to push for the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who has been in custody since last July for allegedly leading a banned group, violating bail and treason. It was instituted by IPOB, which Kanu founded.