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 would also serve as a sign of his administration’s outreach to the Ndigbo people, 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.
There is no time to waste, he said. The deadline for the mandate you gave me and the deliverables I pledged has passed, he said.
“A people must determine at some point in their existence whether they truly wish to advance or stay confined to the circumstances of their underdevelopment.
“The Ndi Igbo’s inventiveness and work ethic are amazing. We are born with an aptitude for business and entrepreneurship.
If this is how we are perceived, it is incongruous with reality to say that every Monday in our country, the spirit of enterprise, commerce, and creativity is put to death. Our industry’s restless spirit detests complacency and indolence.
“It is abhorrent and contrary to greatness and the spirit of the industry we claim to have inherited from our forefathers to sit at home on Monday, the first working and business day of the week. That cannot be us. (May God forbid) Tufiakwa. It causes us enormous harm, he continued.
Mbah reminded the populace that the thriving economy of the state was directly related to the lofty promises he had made to them.
“In order for us to transition from a public service economy to one that is driven by the private sector, we must free our markets from the chains of trade restrictions. If we really want to attract more private sector workers and investors to Enugu State, we must realize that this won’t happen if people see us as unproductive people.
Therefore, those who go on strike every Monday and stifle the creative spirit of the Igbo people cannot truly represent us. They actually destroy our spirit.
“We are aware of the commercial potential of our land. To succeed and generate revenue, businesses, entrepreneurs, and trade need a thriving workforce and sizable marketplaces.
“There will, therefore, be no sit-at-home day observed starting on Monday, June 6, 2023, throughout the entirety of Enugu State.
“Government will use all of its resources to enforce this.
“My charge to all of you, market men and women, the business world, industries, schools, civil officers, and all strata of workers in Enugu State, is that we must reclaim our feeling of industry, pride of place, and reenact our magnificent history.
He said, “By answering this call, you would have put us on the road to actualizing our mandate.