Despite claims by various state governments in the Southeast that the Monday Sit-At-Home has been neutralized, the order is still very much effective in the remote communities of the Southeastern states.
The Acting National Youth Leader of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, Mazi Chukwuma Okpalaezeukwu disclosed Tuesday while addressing newsmen after he visited parts of the remote communities Anambra and Enugu States of the region while getting feelers from the group’s surveillance teams in Ebonyi, Imo and Abia States.
According to observations made, most public facilities including schools, markets, and even private businesses in the remote areas, were totally shut down, for fear of attacks by non-state actors.
Speaking with journalists after the monitoring, Mazi Okpalaezeukwu noted that sit-at-home in the Southeast has remained a challenge, in the sense that all efforts seem to only impact the shallow surface that will cause it to end.
According to him, it is only in the State Capital Cities that the sit-at-home is not enforced, due to the reinforcement of security in those cities.
“The impact of the efforts to stop sit-at-home in the southeast states tends to be more effective in the state capitals. This is because that is where attention is maximized.
“There are less efforts in the remote areas.
“Again, it is our finding, that the real evangelism against sit-at-home due to its peculiar negative impact, does not get to the real people- the bad and ugly, who are the factors that drive the sit-at-home, by their non-state activities, through which they instill fear in the populace,” he noted.
Okpalaezeukwu said while they condemn these non-state activities in their entirety, the leadership of Ohaneze Ndigbo youths, are willing and committed to projecting a non-kinetic approach that will hinge on the engagement of these youths, especially the bad and ugly, to rehabilitate, reform, and reintegrate them into the society.
This, he said, shall primarily ensure that there is a positive change as regards sit-at-home in the Southeast
He said; “These non-state actors are never reasonable as long as they continue their negative actions and their activities present lawlessness and disorderliness. The impact is insecurity, fear, hunger, and hostilities.”
The Igbo youth leader called on Southeast Governors to invest heavily in establishing facilities for the rehabilitation of Igbo youths who may have wandered into non-state activities, to ensure that no one is left behind.
He however noted that the Ohaneze Ndigbo worldwide under the leadership of Chief Engr Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu enjoys the support of Southeast Governors, but said they need to do more.
“The Ohaneze Ndigbo youths are engaging seriously with the good, the bad, and the ugly because we believe the time has come to explore all the capabilities of the Igbo youths for the sake of peace, security, and stability of the region.
“Southeast governors should then begin to invest in facilities for rehabilitation of non-state actors. This is because our youths have been subjected to diverse forms of torture- psychological, social and what have you.
“I am convinced that every average Igbo youth should be erratic because of the adverse psychological environment we are exposed to.
“Since we were born, we have not seen any investment by the government in the zone that will promote youth empowerment.
“And we are always being reminded that we are not accommodated as Nigerians, just like they do it in Federal appointments and so many other things that do not reflect the principle of Federal Character.
“So we admonish our governors that charity begins at home. Let them invest in engagements, rehabilitation, reformation, and reintegration of our youths for economic development in our zone.
“When we do this, we will turn around those misguided energies that were used against the development of the region, to begin to work for the development of the region,” Okpalaezeukwu posited.
