The Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, says his administration would punish any civil servant who was absent from work because of the sit-at-home order declared by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Bibian Anekwe News reports that IPOB had declared a sit-at-home on Mondays to protest the detention and prosecution of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
Even though the proscribed group had suspended the order, residents of the South East have observed the directive and businesses in the region had remained deserted on Mondays.
Speaking at a dinner organized by the Ebonyi State Government in honour of former Army chief, Turkur Buratai, on Monday, Umahi said any worker who fails to show up for work will be sanctioned.
The governor added that any shop owner who fails to open on Mondays is set to lose his or her shop, adding that he will be visiting markets in the state.
The Chairman of the South-East Governors Forum stated that the sit-at-home order was adversely affecting the economy and other sectors of the region.
Umahi disclosed that the South East loses over N10 billion each time it observes the order directed by IPOB, adding that the loss is not good for the region.
The governor, however, said that the state would not subscribe to incessant calls for sit-at-home within the region.
He said: “We are destroying our economy, the sit at home is not happening in South West, the North is not sitting at home, each time we sit at home, we lose over N10 billion in our economy.
“So Ebonyi State will not sit at home any day, so I charge the commissioners to go all out and ensure that Civil Servants come to work, and for the markets, I will personally be in the markets tomorrow, anyone who is no longer interested in owning shops can go home.”
