Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State criticized the high incidence of insecurity afflicting the people of the country’s South-East geopolitical zone Yesterday.
The Governor, who said that those orchestrating the unrest were residents of the region, urged that such heinous behavior be put to an end immediately.
“So, this is my own opinion about the sit-at-home. All Flags must be flying very high tomorrow, in fact, they should fly higher tomorrow and we believe in one, equitable fair Nigeria and we will fair better in united Nigeria where there is justice, equity, and love.
“We condemn in totality the insecurity in south-east orchestrated by our own people that is tagged unknown gunmen and I appeal on behalf of the governors that this should come to a stop. We are very mobile people, restricting our people is to destroy us and I am sure that every man and woman in south-east knows that.”
This was said by Umahi after a press conference at the New Government House in Abakaliki following an Enlarged Security Council Meeting.
He said, “Ebonyi people have been so much deprived in the past, turned to house boys and house girls because of this sit-at-home and we are in a hurry to catch up with others. So, we are not going to be sitting down at home. And so, anybody that says sit-at-home, Ebonyi people will not sit-at-home.
“I am calling on the entire south-east to understand this sit-at-home and those who are orchestrating this sit-at-home are our brothers outside this country who are paid per hour and so, they find it very difficult to feel very comfortable for them to be at work and ask us to sit-at-home.
“They are working to be paid to have means of livelihood the same way they are working to be paid to have means of livelihood. If they truly mean it and they want to ask us to sit-at-home, all the southeast people outside this country should be sincere. Any day they want us to sit-at-home, let them also sit-at-home and see whether they will not be repatriated because they will have nothing to pay for their livelihood. So, it is all about deceit.
“Those who are being killed here in confrontation with security agencies, they are our children, they are our sons and daughters belonging to some of us who are at home. So, I want us to disregard this sit-at-home. Nobody all over the world is against peaceful agitations including agitations at home.
“We have agitations every day; husbands versus wives, children versus father, even house boys/house girls versus the mother of the house. So, there is always an agitation. So, agitation is natural, it’s fundamental but there is nobody who carries a gun and wants to kill another person in the name of anything that is justifiable.
“We condemn in totality the insecurity in south-east orchestrated by our own people that is tagged unknown gunmen and I appeal on behalf of the governors that this should come to a stop. We are very mobile people, restricting our people is to destroy us and I am sure that every man and woman in south-east knows that.
“We strongly condemn the ugly killing of Dr. Chike, a notable medical Doctor and we don’t know the reason for that killing and other killings not less than 12 within the past weeks. It is so terrible and so bad, fear has been inflicted on our people and this is very un-cultural. We appeal to these youths to lay down their arms.
“I don’t know why there should be insecurity, I don’t know why there should be killings, I don’t know why they should inflict fears in the minds of our people. This is very uncalled for and I am warning that the south-east people, their youths may one day rise up against these very few people doing this thing. It is a total war against our people and we are calling that it should stop.
“So, this is my own opinion about the sit-at-home. All Flags must be flying very high tomorrow, in fact, it should fly higher tomorrow and we believe in one, equitable fair Nigeria and we will fair better in united Nigeria where there is justice, equity, and love.”
