From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has said that about N4 trillion has been lost to the weekly stay-at-home imposed on the South-East in the last two years.
Kalu, who stated this, in a keynote address at the, “All Markets Conference 2023” with the theme: “Catalysing Partnership with Traders through Innovation, Technology, Analytics & Sustainability”, on Friday, in Lagos, said the sit-at-home imposed on the five South-East states has stifled economic growth in the zone.
The deputy speaker noted that violence was alien to the region. Consequently, he called for collective efforts by all Igbo sons and daughters to end the menace, stating that it portends grave danger to Igbo entrepreneurship.
According to him, “the existential threat to Igbo entrepreneurship and businesses now is the insecurity and sit-at-home problem in the South-East. The mutation of this problem is largely unfathomable. It is becoming a cankerworm that is eating deep into our collective fortune as a people.
“We have to rise up to nip the problem in the bud. The first wave of the migration of Igbo businesses post-civil war was in the late 1980s and the 1990s, when, due to incessant kidnappings, thievery and a rise in occultism, Igbo businesses domiciled in Igboland moved en masse to other parts of Nigeria and the West & Central African regions to thrive. We are currently witnessing the second wave of such migration of Igbo businesses. This time around, it is due to the insecurity and the sit-at-home problem in our beloved region. Ummu nnem, this is not us.
“We are not known for these. If I do not tell you these truths as your son, then it will be difficult for anyone in governance from Ala-Igbo to tell you. I am pained by what our dear land has become. We have to be honest and sincere with ourselves. In conclusion, I make a heartfelt plea to each and every one of you.
“We cannot afford to retreat from our business endeavors. The stay-at-home order on Mondays has resulted in staggering losses of N4 trillion in the last two years in the South-East alone according to statistical data. This is also affecting the businesses of our brothers across Nigeria especially in the supply-chain. We must find lasting solutions to the security challenges in Igboland, addressing them collectively with innovative strategies. My brothers and my sisters, we must think and think again.”