By Ohayi Ukwueze
The response of Ndi Enugu to the security situation in the state, especially as it concerns the so-called sit-at-home order by some vagabond in exile, issuing directives to the people, calls to question who we presently are. Some lilly-livered inferior folks with no mind of their own? This is antithetical to the Igbo spirit Are we still part of Ndigbo or some chicken-hearted folks made inferior without their consent, denigrated to subaltern status by some criminals on exile who now have resorted to media terrorism? Never in the history of the human race has so much been done to so many by so few. Whose order do we obey? The one on whom we thrust our mandate, or some ill-informed nitwit who sips beer in Finland and we catch cold in Enugu. Alas! How did we arrive at this level of idiocy? “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the Living God?” David had asked in defiance of Goliath.
Do we still have provenance in Israel? Aren’t we the descendants of Eri of Gad, son of Israel? From where did the spirit of fear come upon us we panic and cower before the instruction of some daredevil criminals, hiding under sit-at-home to incite violence, wreck havocs and gloat over them with impunity. If the blood of Israel runs in our veins, we would not act cowardly and scamper like rodents when the fugitive non-state actor belches. We just take instruction from this low-life, He now does it with reckless volition. When it pleases him he would order you inside and being you out as one would ones goats tied to some stake in the stead.
Shakespearean Lady Macbeth had asked to be unsexed that her blood be made thick and all passages to remorse be stoped that heaven peep not through the blanket of the dark to stop her purpose. She was a woman naturally expected to be afraid. She rather banished fear lest she would not actualize her ambition to raise her husband a king and wear the crown of the queen. Lady Macbeth at a point chided her husband for entertaining any iota of fear, saying he was a soldier and afraid. Ndi Enugu, we are Ndi Igbo and are afraid of our shadows; afraid of the sleeping and the dead who are but pictures. We are afraid of scaremongers who thrive in fake news, whose orders we obey instead of taking orders from the our highly cerebral and resourceful governor whom we gave our mandate to lead us.
The Government of Enugu State has time and again assured Ndi Enugu of their safety after Governor Mbah had cancelled the sit-at-home order by a fraction of IPOB led by one semiliterate fugitive inhabiting Finland. What happened last week was a shame. We heard “kai” and scampered away in pandemonium. Ndi Enugu fretted their gizzard green, fleeing from nonexistent unknown gunmen. Not only did this happen at one location. It festered everywhere in the city. Yet there was no unknown gun men anywhere. The Mbah Administration has shown superiority in handling security issues to the extent that since the cancellation of the Monday sit-at-home, there has been no case of security breach. So, why then do we imagine vain things? This is the havoc Ekpa has wrecked. He has so much policed our mind we are cowed and intimidated. We lack the courage to question the temrity of the insignificant number perpetrating violence on us and who finding no space in the physical since Mbah became governor now migrated to the media space to continue to molest us and incite fear in us. And we are maleable to their whims. Ekpa and his men have become a big elephant in the room that we must escort out.
Governor Peter Mbah is ready to bring in investors into the state in his drive to exponentially grow the economy of Enugu State. How do you bring in the investors who first asks you, “What about the Monday sit-at-home?” Security risk is one area business cannot deal with. It may deal with economic and financial risks, but has no power over security risk. Enugu State can only be a place of wealth creation by enabled peaceful environment. Sustainable development and a peaceful environment are mutually reinforcing. So, sit-at-home is a threat to our existence. Nobody you didn’t give your mandate has the right tell you what to do.
Ndi Enugu, now is the time for us to reinvent ourselves, and take back our consent from the hoodlums and murderers who have crept in on us. This is not who we are. We are a peaceful and hospitable people. Our culture and work ethics are being eroded. We are mentally policed and violated so much it has entered into our psyche and subconsciousness. How can we allow Simon Ekpa, a nobody vagabond, destroy us this way?
Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah is ready to pull us out of this dungeon if we are willing. Let us join hands with our governor by giving him maximum cooperation and support to end the evil called sit-at-home in Enugu State and stamp out its evil enforcers from our state. This way, we shall have shaken off this dinosaur on our back.