The Imo State Government has warned that it would shut down businesses, including banks which fail to open for businesses from Monday next week.
The Imo State Commissioner for Trade and Investment, Simon Ebegbulem on Thursday, likened the Monday sit-at-home campaign across the South-East to a poisonous arrow, adding that it was designed to impoverish the poor masses and aimed at destroying their means of livelihood.
“The government cannot standby and watch our people, particularly the masses as they are daily impoverished and pushed under. We must disregard one Simon Ekpa, who is far away in Finland enjoying with his family and dishing out orders to destroy our economy and impoverish our people.
“In a competitive world, this action is most unfair to Ndi-Imo…do they want to shred us of our dignity? We are known as astute business people, and now, you want to take that away from us. It’s unfair. His Excellency, Governor Hope Uzodimma, has, however, remained undaunted and unrelenting.
His achievements in all areas of development…in all ramifications, under four years continue to attest to this. More is coming.
“It is the masses that have continued to suffer the brunt of the sit-at-home. Please, let us allow reason to prevail. What the enemies want is to stop the government from distributing palliatives to our people in the rural areas and we will not allow that to happen. Imo is secured, security agencies are doing very well to help us, therefore, our people should not be intimidated because the government is there to provide security for them,” he said.
Ebegbulem commended the Senate, over its resolution condemning the Monday sit-at-home campaign, saying it was the right thing to have done.