Sit-at-home voluntary, no longer driven by fear in South-East – Soludo

The Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, on Sunday, declared that the era of insecurity-driven sit-at-home order in the South-East is over.

He insisted that anyone who still chooses to stay home on Mondays does so voluntarily.

The governor stated these during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

“Anybody sitting at home now is doing so out of his own preference, not because of insecurity, as it were, because everywhere is secure on Mondays,” Soludo said.

The governor also distanced himself from secessionist movements in the region, stressing that Anambra and the broader South-East stand to gain more through unity and cooperation within the Nigerian federation.

Soludo, a former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, said his administration has worked to restore normalcy in the state by addressing the root causes of insecurity and sensitising residents on the futility of the sit-at-home order.

“We’ve made it very clear that if you are protesting or agitating for anything, you are holding yourself down by killing your own people under the pretext of Monday’s sit-at-home,” he said.

He noted that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), led by Nnamdi Kanu, had repeatedly disassociated themselves from the enforcement of the sit-at-home order, adding that criminal elements were behind the violence initially linked to the group.

“Even Nnamdi Kanu himself and his IPOB are on record to have said they did not support the Monday sit-at-home; it was some criminal elements doing that. And we thank them for their work,” Soludo added.

While recognising the right to peaceful protest and dissent, the governor emphasised that his primary responsibility is governance, not activism.

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“As for those who are agitating or going to have demonstrations, they have a right to do so. In a democracy, everybody has freedom of expression. But mine is to govern. While social activists do their job, I will do my own,” he said.

Soludo also disclosed that he had called on the Ohanaeze Ndigbo and other South-East leaders to initiate dialogue with Kanu upon his release, stressing that the future of the region should be shaped through collective engagement rather than individual dictates.

“I said, why don’t they tell Nnamdi Kanu to come and sit with everybody else, because nobody has a greater right than the other? We are all Igbos, and we are all entitled to our views,” he stated.

Reiterating his belief in Nigeria’s unity, Soludo maintained that the Igbo people’s prosperity is inseparable from the country’s collective progress.

“I am of the view that the Igbo man needs Nigeria and Nigeria needs the Igbo man. The Igbo man needs Africa, and Africa needs the Igbo man. We are an itinerant people who cannot afford to be intolerant. That’s my view,” he said.

He added that Nigeria’s diversity is a strength ordained by God, urging South-Easterners to embrace integration and national collaboration.

“Do we need Nigeria? Absolutely! And Nigeria needs us. That is my very deep belief. I canvass it with no apologies and hold on to that. I’m prepared to debate this with anyone on the future prosperity of the Igbos,” he affirmed.

Soludo’s remarks come amid growing calls for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of IPOB, as opposition figures including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, and activist Omoyele Sowore back a nationwide protest tagged #FreeNnamdiKanuNow, scheduled for October 20 in Abuja.

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