The Imo
State governor, Rochas Okorocha, has given two reasons he believes made
traders
across the South-East adhere to the
stay-at-home order by IPOB and MASSOB, the two major separatist groups in
the region.
In a video
posted on YouTube Wednesday, Mr. Okorocha tackled misconceptions that
he said many Nigerians held about why some Igbo decided to shun commercial
activities on May 30, the 50th-anniversary of the commencement of civil war.
“Most people
believe that the South-East supported the sit-at-home order by IPOB. That is
not true,” Mr. Okorocha said in the video.
The first
reason the governor gave was that the order had a semblance of compliance
because it came amid 2017 Democracy Day —May 29— celebrations.
“The
sit-at-home order by IPOB came a day after Democracy Day and our
people in their natural characteristics would want to enjoy holidays
as much as they can be extended,” he said.
Secondly,
Mr. Okorocha said residents feared that the exercise could be hijacked by the
criminals.
“The traders
all over the country had fears that hoodlums could take over the moment to
destroy their goods and properties,” he said.
“So, it is
not true that the sit-at-home order was purposely obeyed as a mark of support
for IPOB.”
The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, had issued separate calls for all Nigerians of Igbo extraction to respect the significance of the Civil War by staying away from work.
At least 500,000 Igbo were said to have been killed during the war, which broke out in 1967 and ended in 1970.
In the video, an obviously tensed Mr. Okorocha implored Nigerians from the South-East to appreciate the need for a united Nigeria and shun agitation for statehood, which he said occasionally turns violent.
The governor said the Igbos are well integrated across the country and concluded that most vocal succession voices were allegedly pursuing their “selfish aggrandisement.”
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