The Enugu State Government, on Tuesday, announced that all the shops and businesses sealed for not opening on Mondays, would remain closed for one week.
SOUTH EAST DAILY learnt that the State Government on Monday, made real its threat to seal any business outfit that complied with the regular Monday sit-at-home.
In a statement signed by Professor Chidiebere Onyia, Secretary to the State Government, the government said the affected shops would not be considered for re-opening until the owners produced tax clearance certificates and other relevant documents.
Onyi said, “The Enugu State Government wishes to commend civil society organisations and residents that took ownership of government’s ban on illegal sit-at-home orders by embarking on peaceful demonstrations in the capital city yesterday. Government commends the participants for their peaceful conduct throughout the demonstrations.
“In previous announcements to the good people and residents of Enugu State, the government had directed business and shop owners to open for normal businesses on Monday and every work day, or have the defaulting business premises and shops sealed. That was exactly what the government did on Monday, July 24, 2023, to enforce its earlier directives.
“All businesses that were sealed shall remain sealed for one week, at the end of which they shall provide their current tax clearance certificates and all other relevant revenue documents to enable the state government to review and consider their formal letters for re-opening.
“Again, all considerations start from Friday, July 28, 2023 from 2.00 pm at the Enugu State Capital Development Authority (ECTDA) headquarters.”
Enugu Government seals two banks, 107 shops for ‘obeying sit-at-home order’
The Enugu government has sealed two banks and 107 shops for allegedly observing “illegal sit-at-home order” in markets across the state.
According to NAN, the exercise was carried out by officials of the state government and Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA) on Monday.
Chidiebere Onyia, the secretary to the state government (SSG), said the closure of the facilities was in line with the directives of Peter Mbah, governor of Enugu.
Onyia said the governor intends to “fight those that think they can intimidate us” and halt the economic setbacks of the sit-at-home order.
He added that 85 percent of traders showed up in the markets visited by the task force.
“It is not a punitive but ownership culture, where all of us come together to fight the menace of illegal sit-at-home in the state,” the SSG said.
“We are taking it up not because Mbah is in the business of stopping economic growth but to fight those that think they can intimidate us.”
“We have been to ShopRite, Celebrity – a shopping mall – SPAR and others, we saw shops that were not open, and we sealed them.
“That is why ECTDA is here, and the owners should go through a process to get them reopened.”
On his part, Gideon Onyia, the head of ECTDA, said 78 shops were sealed at the Ogbete market.
He added that two new generation banks, five shops at SPAR and 24 shops at the Old Artisan market were also sealed.
“So if you failed to obey our rules and directives, we can revoke them or withdraw your approvals and give them to people eager to do business in the state,” he said.
“Those whose shops are sealed, we will tell them the penalty, but the governor was magnanimous for saying that the exercise was not punitive.”
Sit-at-home order was introduced by the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to protest the detention of Nnamdi Kanu, its leader.
Although the separatist group suspended the sit-at-home in September 2021, there have been reports of forceful and violent enforcement of the order by suspected thugs in the region.