Sit-at-home persists alongside Easter public holiday in Enugu

Its really an uncanny and odd mix here in the Coal City and indeed in other parts of Enugu state as the FG declared public holiday for Easter Monday is running concurrently with the Monday Sit-At-Home put in place by IPOB to protest the extraordinary rendition from Kenya and detention of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu by the FG.

Though IPOB had called off the protest, restricting its observance to days of Mazi Kanu’s court appearance, it has remained in sit.

Despite IPOB reiteration of its position and renewed calls for its end, the exercise has remained in place because an IPOB splinter group loyal Simon Ekpa insists it must continue.

Efforts by Anambra governor, Chukwuma Soludo has been met with stiff and violent resistance.

Ideally, it was thought that on this Easter public holiday declared by the government, it would have been lifted but that is not the case here.

Major markets, supermarkets, shops, goods stores, restaurants, eateries, bars, drink inns, filling stations, offices, banks, construction sites, garages, motor parks and other public places are all shut.

Schools are on holiday while tertiary institutions are on strike.

Streets, major roads and express roads and other interstate federal highways are bare and bereft of normal traffic.

On the streets are some commercial tricycles and clandestine taxi and bus operators.

Black market fuel operators are on many street corners just as POS operators in the inner streets, all making brisk business side by side with daring mama-put food vendors.

Though many had travelled to the countryside, checks revealed that the usual Easter associated events such as burials, funerals, marriages and weddings, child dedication, house opening ceremony, community fundraising and indeed all social gatherings have similarly been affected.

Proactive consideration has informed the shifting of these to Tuesday and beyond.

Vitriolic Enugu cleric, Rev Fr. Ejike Mbaka on his Good Friday ministrations, has advocated the release of Mazi Nnamdi as the panacea to end the Sit-At-Home.

Army and security patrols are on though, so far, there have been no security breaches.