Sit-At-Home: South-East Lost N4trn In 2 Years -Ben Kalu

Posted by Nwa Diokpa Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria Saturday, July 15th, 2023

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has stated that “statistical data” has shown that the south-east geopolitical zone lost N4 trillion in two years due to the sit-at-home order.

Kalu made this known on Friday during an event organised by the Ndigboamaka Progressive Markets Association in Lagos. The lawmaker, however, did not state the body that released the data, nor the methodology used in getting at the figure.

According to the lawmaker, the Monday sit-at-home order has not only crippled businesses but it has slowed down the economic growth of the five Igbo states.
“The existential threat to Igbo entrepreneurship and businesses now is the insecurity and sit-at-home problem in the south-east,” Kalu said.

“The mutation of this problem is largely unfathomable. It is becoming a cankerworm that is eating deep into our collective fortune as a people.

“If I do not tell you the 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. I make a heartfelt plea to every one of you.

“We cannot afford to retreat from our business endeavours. 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.”

He further stated that the sit-at-home in the zone affects businesses across the country, especially enterprises in the south-east supply chain and stakeholders in the region must find a lasting solution to the security challenges in Igboland by collectively addressing them through innovative strategies.