By Mike Ikem Umealo
The Sit-At-Home in the South East is like the kind of dark clouds that bring thunderstorms. But the people have refused to be the very wind that is needed to sweep away the evil clouds. You know, the South East, not necessarily because the people are afraid of going out but, because of over 60 to 70 per cent of the population adighi ihe ha ruwa. That is to say, a significant percentage of the population no get something serious that they are doing anyway; most of the people are unemployed.
Also, more than half of the unemployed people have friends and relatives abroad who send monthly stipends to fund their living expenses.
In addition, civil servants don’t actually want to go to work because, either they are being owed for the months they have already worked, or they know that work or no work, they will still be paid.
The remaining percentage is mostly traders; up to 20 to 30 per cent of the population have one thing or another to sell to each other. And they will inevitably not be able to trade since buyers are sitting at home anyway.
So, when you look at a combination of all these factors, you will understand why Sit-At-Home can work in the South-East; there is no real incentive for the people to defy the Sit-At-Home.
If more than half of the population are working and they know that if they don’t go to work they will not be paid, that incentive alone would lead them to defy the Sit-At-Home and bring back the glory of the South East. Then you will see the traders and market people and businesses, who are afraid of their shops being burnt, coming together with all working people to form a formidable force to resist the terror in Igbo land.
Unfortunately, the entity to lead the resistance is the same state governments that want the masses to remain locked up, downtrodden and divided. They don’t want to see the people coming together because, if the people can come together to resist the Sit-At-Home and end it permanently, the state governments know that the people will come for them next. #ighotago?
But I still believe that dark clouds can only prevent the sun from shining for only “nwa mgbe nta!”
When the time is due, the winds of courage and faith in the Igbo spirit will start blowing to sweep away these people who are manipulating the minds of our people. That time will come sooner than expected.
