In an effort to bring about national reconciliation, Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has pleaded with President Bola Tinubu to free Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the imprisoned leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra.
Mbah made the call on Thursday at the Government House in Enugu while outlining the conclusions reached following his first security council meeting with the leaders of various security agencies.
“I call on our recently inaugurated president, President Bola Tinubu, to consciously work towards Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s release,” he added. We think that his release will hasten Nigeria’s current healing process.
“It will also be a pointer to his administration’s extension of brotherly hands of fellowship to Ndigbo,” he said.
The governor stated that beginning on Monday, June 6, 2023, there would be no more limitations of this nature, noting that such decrees were limiting innovation, entrepreneurship, and productivity in the state.
On the other hand, Mbah stated that his government was prepared “to engage in dialogue with people, who have genuine grievances towards bringing lasting peace and security to Enugu State.”
The governor reminded the citizens of Enugu that he had started off strong on the day of his inauguration by signing three executive orders for the state’s good governance, including Executive Order 002 for the removal of “Unauthorized Street Barriers Across the State Within 100 Days.” The deputy governor, Mr. Ifeanyi Ossai, was also present at the meeting.
“A time comes in the lives of a people when they must decide whether they genuinely want to move forward or remain stuck with the conditions of their underdevelopment.
“The creativity and sense of industry of Ndi Igbo are remarkable. Our DNA is wired with commercial and entrepreneurial prowess.
“If this is what we are known for, then it becomes inconsistent with reality that the spirit of entrepreneurship, commerce and creativity are killed every Monday in our land. Our restless spirit of industry abhors laxity and indolence.
“The idea behind sitting at home on Monday, the first working and business day of the week, is abominable and antithetical to greatness and the spirit of the industry we profess to have inherited from our forebears. This cannot be us. Tufiakwa (God forbid). It does colossal damage to us,” he further added.
Mbah reminded the people of the direct connection between the lofty promises he made to them and the vibrancy of commerce in the state.
“For us to transit from a public service economy to a private sector-driven one, we must free our markets from the shackles of restriction to commerce. If indeed we aspire and anticipate an influx of private sector practitioners and investors in Enugu State, we must know that this will not happen where the perception of us is that of unproductive people.
“Therefore, those that strike on Mondays, putting restrictions in the way of our Igbo spirit of creativity, cannot be our true representatives. In fact, they kill our spirit.
“We know that our land is a fertile ground for commerce. However, businesses, entrepreneurship and commerce require a vibrant workforce and big markets where they can flourish and make money.
“To this end, therefore, from Monday, June 6, 2023, there will be no observance of any sit-at-home in all nooks and crannies of Enugu State.
“Government will enforce this with all the powers at its disposal.
“My charge to all of you – market men and women, the corporate world, industries, schools, civil servants, and all strata of workers in Enugu State – is for us to take back our sense of industry, pride of place and re-enact our glorious past.
“By heeding this call, you would have set us on the path of actualizing our mandate,” he stated.
