Transport companies in Cross River State have revealed they may not release their buses to ply the Southeast following an ultimatum from Finland-based Biafra agitator Simon Ekpa calling for two weeks total shutdown of the southeast part of Nigeria. According to Ekpa, the shutdown will begin from 31 July 2023. They said the decision was not only to save their buses but the lives of passengers and their drivers.
A few days ago, Ekpa released a statement calling for total compliance. Part of the statement read, “Following the demand by the Biafra people for more sit-at-home civil disobedience, the Biafra Republic Government In-Exile (BRGIE) and Biafra De Facto Government In Homeland wish to notify Biafrans that there will be sit-at-home civil disobedience starting from 31 July 2023 to 14 August 2023.
“The immediate and unconditional release of IPOB leader
Mazi Nnamdi Kanu who remains illegally detained at the DSS dungeon. “In
preparation for “Biafra’s self-referendum and to further put the world on
notice that Biafrans are taking their future into their own hands. “To
invalidate the illegitimacy of those who parade themselves as Nigeria’s representatives
within the Biafran territory. “The sit-at-home will, therefore, take place in
the following order: Monday, 31 July 2023 to Friday, 4 August 2023, and there
will be total lockdown in Biafraland.”
He said that on Saturday, 6th August, and Sunday, 7th August, the two-week-long
sit-at-home will go on break as all Biafran markets will be opened. “From
Monday, 7th August to Friday, 11 August, there will be total lockdown in
Biafraland while on Saturday, 12 August and Sunday, 13 August 2023, there will
be a break as all Biafran markets will open.
“We also call on all oil companies operating in the
Biafran territory to shutdown oil exploration on these dates to avoid the anger
of the Biafran people, which may come with heavy consequences.”
In an interview, one of the officials of a transport company in Calabar, who
gave his name as Orji Fabian, said due to the insecurity in the southeast, they
have since reduced the numbers of their buses plying that axis, having suffered
attacks in recent times. Fabian disclosed that due to the insecurity, passenger
traffic has drastically reduced.
“We do not take the threat from Simon Ekpa’s group lightly. First, we must
think of the safety of our passengers, our drivers, and of course, our buses.
“It would be insensitive to deliberately expose lives and our business to
avoidable risks. Therefore, we are seriously looking at avoiding that route on
that 31st July 2023.”
Speaking further, Fabian listed that insecurity, which
includes kidnapping, armed robbery, fuel subsidy removal and resultant high
cost of transport fares, have combined to scare interstate travellers. These
have led to a drastic reduction in passenger traffic in the last two months, he
said. Fabian said their transport operations, like their competitors, have
witnessed a lull.
“Removal of fuel subsidy which has astronomically raised prices of every
item in the country is the major cause. Insecurity in the southeast part of the
country is another scare. “We now have lesser numbers of buses plying our
normal routes. Frequently, due to fewer travelers traffic, we no longer depart
on schedule. “There has been a drastic reduction in passengers traffic in most
of our departing points, not only in the state. “We now ply fewer routes with
very few passengers. Often, too, we delay as a way waiting to see if more passengers
will show up later.”
He said that the hyperinflation has affected not only their
company but other transporters. He, however, stated that his company may not
lay off their staff who are finding it difficult to grapple with the fewer
resources at their disposal. As a way of helping themselves out, he appealed
that the federal government should help to restore the fuel subsidy, which he
claimed was the only benefit the common people were enjoying from the
government. He feared that corrupt government officials would corner the
subsidy removed and will, therefore, not serve desired purposes by the
government.
He, however, acknowledged that following the end of school terminal sessions, a
handful of students have been booking to travel, adding that there used to be
an upsurge in passengers traffic before now. Meanwhile, the Assistant Inspector
General of Police, AIG, Zone 9 Umuahia, Echeng Echeng has said that he prepared
to fight illegal sit-at-home orders in the South-East geopolitical zone,
kidnapping, armed robbery, etc. He spoke when he visited Governor Nwifuru of
Ebonyi State.
