However, despite the monitoring, private businesses still observed sit-at-home as roads and markets were still scanty.
Meanwhile, at the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, ESUT-Parklane, there was serious confusion as a crowd besieged the office of the Chief Medical Director, Prof. Hypcinth Onah, to write attendance for Monday’s work.
Our correspondent gathered that workers were told by the management of the hospital that any staff that fails to attend work on Mondays henceforth or any other day sit-at-home was declared by any pro-Biafra group will lose 25 percent of their salary.
The PUNCH also gathered that the development was introduced after a meeting of various heads of government agencies and parastatals with the governor as a measure to compel their workers to come to work and break the yoke of Monday’s sit-at-home in the state.
Although Mbah had banned sit-at-home which the Indigenous People of Biafra instituted to protest against the incarceration of their leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu many people are still observing the sit-at-home especially those who are not employees of the government.
The governor has reportedly directed all government establishments to start writing attendance of workers on Mondays and to start surcharging staff that fail to come to work on sit-at-home days.
ESUT-Parklane, however, began the implementation of the directive by ensuring that workers now sign attendance between 7:30 to 8:30 am and sign off after 4 pm for those on full-day work and 2 pm for those on shifting work.
“Anyone who comes to work after 8:30 am when the register is billed to close will be regarded as he or she did not come to work. And those who didn’t come to work on Mondays will be surcharged 25 per cent of their salary,” one of the staff told our correspondent.
However, following the new directive, those who don’t want to lose their job are now coming to the hospital on Sunday to sleep over to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
“I had to come to the hospital yesterday (Sunday) and slept over to meet the new order because I can not meet up coming to work by 8 am on Mondays. I am living at Garrik on Agbani Road, and the government doesn’t provide vehicles on Monday for workers to come to work.
“Also, individual transport owners don’t bring out their vehicles very early in the morning for fear of being attacked,” a worker who doesn’t want his name mentioned told our correspondent.
Meanwhile, schools, especially secondary schools owned by the government, opened but students who attended were few.
However, during monitoring, Mbah, who was at the Spar Mall, Roban Stores at Bisalla Road, Market Square, Shoprite, Zenith Bank at Ogui Road, Celebrities, Ogbete Market, Garki Awkunanaw Market, Mayor Market, Abakpa Market, and the State Secretariat, reportedly commended residents of the state for the level of compliance.
He, however, warned traders who continue to observe sit-at-home from July 24, 2023, that they stand to lose their shops to serious-minded businessmen.
He said adequate security had been provided and that there had not been any incident of attack since the ban on sit-at-home in June.
Mbah, who took time to interact with business owners, shoppers, traders as well as civil servants at the State Secretariat, said “It should never be heard that we were cowed because of the threat of violence by these criminals,” noting that “the poverty that will befall us for sitting at home will kill us even faster.
“We are losing over N10bn every Monday that we sit at home. Enough is enough. This foolishness must end and it must end now. We cannot be marginalising ourselves and still complain of marginalisation.
“So, we must say no to sit-at-home because what it means is that we are destroying our employment, our economy, and our GDP. We must erase it from our memories. We should see it as our shameful past, which we do not want to remember. We must put it behind us and forge ahead, ensuring that we work every working day of the week,” he said.
