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South East Economy: End of Sit-at-Home in Sight

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By Eric Elezuo

The turn of events in recent times is proving that the unpopular sit-at-home order of a faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), led by Finland based Simon Ekpa, may come to an end soon.

This is going by the welcomed intervention of the acclaimed Supreme leader of the group, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, through a handwritten letter directing the immediate end of the order. The sit-at-home order has been in place in the South East since August 9, 2021 to press for the demand of Mazi Kanu, who has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) after he was renditioned to Nigeria in June 2021.

Originally slated to be observed any day Kanu was billed to appear in court for trial in honour, the order extended to every Monday in addition to days of court appearance. With time, and with the alleged leadership of Ekpa from faraway Finland, the order has been called at random, sometimes extending to cover a whole one week.

Consequently, the observance of the forced holiday has grounded economic activities in the region, leading to an estimated loss of N7.6 trillion in productivity, as reported by The Guardian, potential investments as well as loss of lives and personal and government property.

But a twist recorded over the weekend showed that Kanu has come out to call the Ekpa-led group to order, describing it as infamous and reckless, and asking that the unholy order be dropped forthwith.

Confirming the authenticity of the letter by Kanu, IPOB, in a statement, by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, emphasozed the importance of the letter, saying: “The global family and movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) confirms the authenticity of the handwritten note of our Leader penned to the Finland infiltrator and crime minister instructing him to end his infamous and reckless sit-at-homes.

“It is pertinent to make the message disassociating Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB from the senseless enforcement of sit-at-home public to avoid consequences on innocent citizens.

“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, in his wisdom, communicated the message to the infiltrators through the right channel and a source they should trust. The claims that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s handwritten note is fake is part of their mischief to continue in their contract to blackmail IPOB and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu with the violent enforcement of the infamous sit-at-homes used to terrorise our people.

“We understand that a power-drunk crime Minister with his inconsequential kangaroo defacto government in exile will ignore the order for the fear of deflating his over-bloated ego.”

He explained that IPOB leadership initiated the Monday sit-at-home in protest of the abduction and rendition of their leader and to make sure that the Nigeria government arraigned Mazi Nnamdi Kanu openly, in a public court where they could see him.

“But our leader instructed that it be suspended so that we don’t torture our people.

“In line with the principle of command and control, we obeyed, and the sit-at-home order was suspended. However, infiltrators who don’t believe in the principle of command and control, which is a core value of IPOB, ignored the order from our leader.”

He said Mazi Nnamdi Kanu had sent messages through his visitors at the Department of State Security (DSS) detention camp to the infiltrators to stop the reckless sit-at-home several times, all to no avail.

“Senator Enyinnaya Abaraibe tabled this message in the red chamber of the Senate, what Mazi Nnamdi Kanu told them when they visited him in the DSS custody with Ohaneze Ndigbo delegates in the DSS headquarters Abuja, where he was illegally and unconstitutionally detained in DSS solitary confinement since June 2021.

“When our leader called for complete peace in Biafraland and to protect our people instead of killing them in one of his court appearances, he was referring to the infiltrators to stop their infamous enforcement of sit-at-home orders and enforcement. That call went on deaf ears. This last message in his handwriting is the last straw.”

Sn investigation conducted by The Guardian revealed that that “since the Monday sit-at-home started, productivity has seriously dwindled in the region; jobs are threatened; there is loss of confidence by investors; insecurity has increased; and there is a near collapse in the infrastructure of the region with the attendant spike in social vices.”

More revelations prove that “between the commencement of the exercise in 2021 and this year, 105 Mondays of the 520 working days have been lost in terms of productivity or any real economic activity. This leaves the South-east region with 415 days in which her people are expected to go to work. Of the remaining 415 days, public holidays declared by the government further deplete the available productivity period in the region.”

It is worthy of worth that successive governors have either attempted to put a stop to the crisis, or buckled under threats of reprisal. Most citizens of the five South East states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo, who at one time or another another to flout the order and open for business, have either have their businesses destroyed or loose their lives in the bargain. A cross section of Nigerians have mocked the governors, holding that Ekpa is the authentic governors of the South East.

But with the arrival of Governor Peter Mba of Enugu State, moves were made to arrest the crisis. Stakeholders have however, argued that the government of Enugu State has put the cart before the horde as they went after the people instead of after of the perpetrators of the crime.

“What I think the Mba-led government should have done is found a way to tackle the menace through outright military incursion or negotiation. He can’t just ask people to flout the order and go their businesses when stories abound as to the consequences of the act. Most people have e in the past been summarily shot and killed. So it was not nice for the governor to ask the people to take such huge risk when there is no safety measures remotely or physically put in place,” a resident told The Boss.

While Anambra state governor, Prof Charles Soludo had during his swearing in on March 17, 2022 stated that every day that there was sit-at-home, the poor masses of the state lose as much as an estimated N19.6billion, the governor of Enugu said that state ‘loses N10 billion every Monday that people observed sit-at-home in the state, stressing that the trend was endangering the $30 billion GDP projection of his administration’.

Mba noted: “It should never be heard that we were cowed because of the threat of violence by these criminals”. He added “the poverty that will befall us for sitting at home will kill us even faster.

“We are losing over N10bn every Monday that we sit at home. Enough is enough. This foolishness must end and it must end now. We cannot marginalise ourselves and still complain of marginalisation.

“So, we must say no to sit-at-home because what it means is that we are destroying our employment, our economy, and our GDP. We must erase it from our memories. We should see it as our shameful past, which we do not want to remember. We must put it behind us and forge ahead, ensuring that we work every working day of the week.”

The abject poverty the exercise has bestowed on the people of the South East remains rather unquantifiable as it has encroached into the education of the pupils and students of the region.

In solidarity with Kanu’s reverse order, Enugu youths, on Saturday, stormed the streets in peaceful protest with inscribed placards reading: “Even Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is Against Sit-at-Home” and “Sit-at-Home Discourages Economic Progress”.

Others are: “We say NO to Enemies of our Dear State and region”; “Sit-at-Home Affects our Mental Health”; Sit-at-home is Affecting our Children Education” and “We Cannot Continue this Way” among others.

It is believed that compliance with the instruction of Nnamdi Kanu through the handwritten letter will bring about a boost in the economic activities of the region and ensure revenue turnover.

The way it stands, everyone in the South East is tired of the ‘illegal sit-at-home order’, and wishes a reverse. And with Kanu’s dissociation of himself from the act, it is now a between behind the South East regin and Simon Ekpa.

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How Glo Network Became the Lifeline That Saved Two Lives: A True Story from Sallari

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By Dr. Sani Sa’idu Baba

It was one of those calm, bright mornings in Sallari, a town in Tarauni Local Government Area of Kano State. I had gone to visit my longtime friend and colleague, Dr. Muhammad Umar Abdullahi, at his private facility, Rauda Clinic and Maternity. We were in his office discussing research, the usual challenges of medical practice, and other issues when the sound of hurried footsteps and anxious voices broke the calm. A young man rushed in, calling for the doctor.

Without hesitation, Dr. Muhammad sprang into action. I followed him instinctively. Within moments, two people burst through the gate, one man carrying a weak, heavily pregnant woman in his arms. Her breathing was shallow and wheezy, her face pale, and her body trembling between labor contractions and an asthma crisis. The scene was intense, we both knew that every second counted.

The team quickly moved her to the emergency bed. The Chief Medical Director Dr. Muhammad and his nurses worked swiftly to stabilize her breathing and monitor the baby. Oxygen was connected, IV lines were set, and within minutes, her breathing began to steady. The baby’s heartbeat was strong. After a short but tense period, she delivered a healthy baby girl. Relief filled the room like a gentle wind.

At that moment, I couldn’t help but admire the efficiency and dedication of Rauda Clinic and Maternity. The facility operated with the precision and compassion of a modern hospital. Every member of the team knew their role, every piece of equipment was in place, and the environment radiated calm professionalism. It reminded me that quality healthcare is not only about infrastructure, but about commitment and readiness when it truly matters. Rauda Clinic stood out that day as a quiet pillar of excellence and hope for patients and families alike.

The following day, I placed a call to Dr. Muhammad to ask about the condition of the woman who had been brought in the previous morning. He sounded cheerful and relieved. “Both mother and baby are fine now,” he said. Then, with deep reflection in his voice, he narrated the extraordinary story behind their survival, a story that showed how a single phone call, made at the right moment, became the bridge between life and death. As I listened to him recount the events, I couldn’t help but marvel at how sometimes, survival depends not only on medicine but also on connection.

Her name was Amina, a mother of three. That morning, she was alone at home, her husband was in Dutse, the capital of Jigawa state where he works, and her children had already gone to school. The first wave of pain came suddenly, followed by a tightening in her chest. Within minutes, she was gasping for air, her asthma worsening with every breath. She reached for her phone to call her husband, but the call wouldn’t go through. She tried again and again, each time, “Network error.”

Her strength was fading fast. She tried to reach her neighbors, but again, no connection. Alone, frightened, and struggling to breathe, she said she felt her end was near. Then, a thought crossed her mind, her maid had left her phone in the sitting room that morning. Gathering the last of her strength, Amina crawled toward the television stand where the phone lay.

When she reached it, she noticed the green SIM icon, it was a Glo line. Hope flickered. But when she tried to make a call, she saw there was no airtime. That could have been the end until she remembered Glo’s Borrow Me Credit service. With trembling fingers, she dialed the Glo borrow me code and she got the credit instantly, and that small credit became her lifeline.

Her first attempt to reach her husband failed. Then she dialed her younger brother, Umar. This time, the call went through immediately. Interestingly, Umar is a Glo user too. Without delay, Umar and his wife rushed to her house, found her collapsed on the floor, and carried her into their car.

On their way, Umar called ahead to alert the doctor, and again, the call went through clearly. By a remarkable coincidence, Dr. Muhammad was also using a Glo line. That seamless connection meant the hospital team was fully prepared by the time they arrived. Within minutes, Amina was stabilized, and both she and her baby were safe.

The next morning, Dr. Muhammad told me that Amina had smiled faintly and said to him, “Doctor, when every other network failed me, Glo answered. If that call hadn’t gone through, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Her words carried a truth that stayed with me. It wasn’t just a patient’s gratitude, it was a testimony about the power of reliable connection. At that moment, Glo wasn’t just a telecommunications network, it was the bridge between life and death, between despair and hope.

In today’s world, a simple phone call can determine whether someone lives or dies. That day reminded me that technology, when dependable, is not just about data speed, it’s about human connection at its most critical. Glo proved to be that connection: steady, available, and trustworthy when it mattered most.

Before she was discharged, she laughed and told the doctor she had already chosen a nickname for her baby “Amira Glo.” They both laughed, but deep down, Dr. Muhammad understood the meaning behind that name. It symbolized gratitude, faith, and survival.

As I ended the call with Dr. Muhammad that day, I felt a quiet pride. I had witnessed not just the miracle of life, but the harmony of medicine, compassion, and reliable technology. Through Rauda Clinic and Maternity, I saw what true service means, dedication without boundaries, and connection that saves.

Amina’s story isn’t an advert, but living proof that sometimes, when every other signal fades, Glo stands firm, and when every other facility seems far away, Rauda Clinic and Maternity remains a beacon of care and excellence.

For patients, families, and health workers alike, Glo is proven to be a network of necessity. It connects life to hope, when every second truly counts…

Dr. Sani Sa’idu Baba writes from Kano, and can be reached via drssbaba@yahoo.com

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Delta Govt Confirms Death of Senator Nwaoboshi at 68

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Senator Peter Onyelukachukwu Nwaoboshi, the former lawmaker who represented Delta North Senatorial District in the National Assembly, has passed away. He was 68.

Reports said that Nwaoboshi died on Friday in Abuja following a brief illness.

His demise was confirmed in a condolence statement issued by the Delta State governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori.

Expressing sorrow, the governor described Nwaoboshi’s passing as a monumental loss to Delta State, the Anioma nation, and the Nigerian federation.

In the statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sir Festus Ahon, Governor Oborevwori hailed the late Senator as a “fearless advocate” of the Anioma cause whose contributions to nation-building remain indelible.

The governor recalled Nwaoboshi’s impactful tenure in the Red Chamber, particularly his role as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs.

He noted that Nwaoboshi’s consistent advocacy for the development of the oil-rich region distinguished him as a passionate and committed leader.

“On behalf of the government and people of Delta State, I mourn the passing of my dear friend, Senator Peter Onyelukachukwu Nwaoboshi,” the governor said.

“I extend my heartfelt condolences to his immediate family, the people of Anioma nation, members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and all those whose lives he touched. I pray that Almighty God grant his soul eternal rest.”

Before his elevation to the Senate in 2015, he served meritoriously as a two-term Chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State, where he was instrumental in consolidating the party’s grip on the State.

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Ribadu’s Office Denies Arming Miyetti Allah in Kwara

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The National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), under the office of the National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has refuted claims that it armed members of the Miyetti Allah group for counter-terrorism operations in Kwara State.

The Head of Strategic Communication at NCTC, Mr. Michael Abu, issued the rebuttal on Wednesday in Abuja.

Abu described the reports circulated by some online platforms as false and misleading, saying they misrepresented ongoing security operations in forested areas of the state.

He said that in line with the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022, it continued to coordinate and support law enforcement, security and intelligence agencies in countering all forms of terrorism across the country.

NCTC spokesman explained that Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts guided by the National Counter Terrorism Strategy (NACTEST), involved the deployment of hybrid forces comprising regular security personnel and trained auxiliaries such as hunters and vigilante elements, particularly in difficult terrains.

According to him, the hybrid approach, which was previously deployed with the Civilian Joint Task Force in the North-East, is currently being applied in parts of the North-West and North-Central, including Kwara State, and has recorded several successes against banditry and other criminal activities.

He stressed that the Federal government was not conducting kinetic operations with any socio-cultural group, adding that claims that the Office of the National Security Adviser provided arms to such organisations are unfounded and should be disregarded.

According to him, all auxiliary personnel involved in hybrid operations were recruited directly by authorised security and intelligence agencies after due diligence, and that all operations were conducted strictly in line with the law and established standard operating procedures.

He urged the media to exercise responsibility by protecting sensitive security information and seeking clarification through designated official spokespersons, while advising the public to ignore unverified reports capable of undermining ongoing operations.

He reaffirmed the centre’s commitment to transparency and stakeholder engagement to deepen public understanding of Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts.

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