Posted by Dr. Peter Mbah, the governor of Enugu State, has declared that his state is winning the battle against sit-at-home enforcers and that he will never obey anyone he deems to be a killer or an enemy of Igbo land.
When people were still talking about or following orders from anonymous people outside our state, Mbah asserted that Enugu could not become the top location for investment, living, and tourism, nor could its economy grow from $4.4 billion to $30 billion. He insisted that “we cannot be defeated by evil and we must not allow that to happen.”
The Governor called for coordinated efforts by the media and the people of Enugu to combat scare tactics and fake news, which he described as the promoters of sit-at-home days’ latest tactic after they lost their ability to cause damage to people’s lives and property, as they had previously been able to do, as a result of redoubled security measures implemented by the government and security agencies since the state’s ban on Monday sit-at-home days.
Mbah spoke during his first media interview, which took place over the weekend at the Government House in Enugu with journalists and media executives from the city.
The Governor urged the journalists to perform their jobs professionally by taking advantage of the chance that investigative and modern journalism present to fact-check and verify the veracity of information before disseminating it to the public.
The reality is that we have already defeated the assassins and enforcers who sat at home and planned to destroy Igboland and Enugu State. They have been completely defeated and unnerved as a result of the security resources we have unleashed on them.
“They have turned to scare tactics, spreading false information, and all kinds of plays to instill fear in our people and exert control over their thoughts and behavior because they are no longer able to inflict horror on the lives and property of Ndi Enugu.
“We adhere to democracy. Murderers and terrorists cannot ever rule over us. We must not let those who do not represent the will of the people make decisions about how we should live our lives, including when to leave the house, shut down our enterprises, and spend time at home.
We are currently dealing with media terrorists that spread false information and sow panic using social media. We must stop them before they succeed. Completely unacceptable. Without your cooperation, no one can treat you less favorably. Compared to our numbers, these scumbags are quite few. We cannot follow directions from thugs.
“We can’t let those who don’t have our permission tell us how to live our lives. It is our responsibility to flush them out in all ways. They have no interest in our state’s issues.
Therefore, it is our duty to reorient our people so that they can resume going about their regular lives. We have a responsibility to eradicate fake news and combat it using our superior writing and media.
As a result, the governor said, “We must start telling our people the truth as we leave here; that nobody can make them inferior without their consent; and that we can’t be cowed by the cowardly acts of a few people.”
Mbah cautioned the populace not to be duped by those who use Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s name as a pretext for their crimes, saying that Mazi Kanu had since stated his disgust at the imposition of the sit-at-home order and the ensuing destruction of Igbo land.
Mbah noted that in the 21st century, nobody should be permitted to stay in one part of the world to enjoy life while causing deaths and pain in other parts, and that the state was looking into the possibility of bringing both the perpetrators and enforcers of violence and the illegal sit-at-home order in the State before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague to answer for the crimes against humanity.
“As media professionals, it is crucial that you inform our population so that they understand that these at-home enforcers are not interested in Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s freedom or welfare. We have to be able to tell them apart.
“Ndigbo are united in their call for Nnamdi Kanu’s release. In relation to this, I have also spoken with the President. The same demand has been made by other Igbo leaders, and we won’t back down.
But our people must confront the’sit-at-home enforcers,’ who are actually just criminals.
The governor also revealed that technology had been put in place to ensure residents’ protection, claiming that there were no longer any safe havens for criminals in the state.
In their responses, members of the media community praised the government’s efforts to combat instability and made recommendations for how to restore long-lasting peace and security to the state.
They pledged that they would play a crucial part in ensuring that the people returned to work through their reports, and they emphasized their willingness to work with and support the government in order to realize its intentions for the people.