Metro

Enugu govt threatens to close down businesses observing sit-at-home

Published

10 months ago

July 18, 2023

Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, has threatened to close down businesses and shops as well as revoke licenses of business owners who observe the Monday sit-at-home orders by the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Mbah made the threat when he toured parts of Enugu, the state capital, to monitor the level of compliance with his ban on the sit-at-home order on Monday.

The governor had, on June 5, issued an order banning the weekly sit-at-home order in the state, but during the tour on Monday, Mbah frowned at the level of compliance of the residents who still obey the order despite the ban.

Mbah who took time to interact with business owners, shoppers, traders, said such orders restrict creativity, entrepreneurship, and productivity in the state, and threatened to close any school, markets, and financial institutions, among others, that obey the order.

“The poverty that will befall us for sitting at home will kill us even faster. We are losing over N10 billion every Monday that we sit at home. Enough is enough. This foolishness must end and it must end now. We cannot be marginalising ourselves and still complain of marginalisation.

“So, we must say no to sit-at-home because what it means is that we are destroying our employment, our economy, and our GDP,” the governor said.

The governor added that adequate security had been provided in the areas, and therefore, there was no need for the traders and businesses not to open on Mondays.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now