Sit-at-Home, Wasteful benefits no one - Catholic


The continued Monday sit-at-home by people residing in the Eastern part of Nigeria in compliance to the directive issued by the Igbo agitation group, the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, even after its suspension, has been described as a colossal waste of intellectual, material and other financial resources by the Auxiliary Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Awka, Most Rev. Jonas Benson Okoye.

Following the arrest and detention of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, his group had initially declared every Monday as a day in which every Igbo person should sit at home in protest against the fate of the IPOB leader.


Bishop Okoye who spoke to Fides in an exclusive interview with Fides last Sunday, August 29, at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, Ifite Awka, during his pastoral visit to the parish, has however frowned on the development, noting that sitting at home every Monday would only promote a culture of laziness, with some individuals cashing in on that to relax and waste their productive time.

The Catholic prelate acknowledged that the cause which the IPOB group fought together with the Ohaneze Ndigbo, Catholic bishops and priests, was merely to promote justice and fairness, especially to marginalized people.

He regretted that the manner which the IPOB had employed in seeking for justice and fairness was detrimental to the growth of people who resided and earned their livelihood in the east. The bishop noted that sitting at home benefited no one as it only added to wasted hours.

He noted that people in Eastern Nigeria were subsistent earners and thus it would be unfair that people were kept at home due to the fear of the unknown, especially those associated with losing their wares and lives in the course of earning a living.

Bishop Okoye who wondered why people were frightened of going out on Mondays even after the order had been lifted, said some lazy people were now using it as an excuse to avoid going to work.

He therefore urged people to go back to work and allow major stakeholders, including Catholic Bishops, who, he said, were greatly concerned about the welfare of the masses, to continue with the fight.

He said it entailed drastic negotiation and dialoguing with those at the helm of authority for better welfare and good governance of the people.

He urged government and security agencies to encourage people to go about their normal daily activities on Mondays by adopting ways of dousing people’s fear.

Bishop Okoye said that concerted effort was needed to ensure that banks began normal operations on Mondays in order to encourage others to resume their normal duties on Mondays.

The man has collected his loot. He is now singing for the government

God bless his Lordship.

They were thinking they are doing buhari.

Bloody terrorists

They will soon behead this Bishop and his children...

I pity Igbo people..the terrorists they are looking for are already in their door steps...

May God bless you Bishop, IPOB/ESN may label you now as saboteur when you speak what is against them, but God's protection will be sure over you. Their thinking faculties are upside down; Kanu has stolen their sense of reasoning. They have shown arrogance part of Biafra; they want to boast they control Biafra people and not the governors; now they shot themselves with Monday-Monday unreasonable show of force which has become burden on Igbo.

They usually act before reasoning with their brains. What is effect of Monday-Monday on Buhari now? Without Monday-Monday, crime rate remains highest in that part of zone on daily, weekly and monthly basis. When somebody is arrested for drugs, baby factory and many more, you can stake your money what that name will be and region he/she will come from. Now, with this Monday-Monday burden, be expecting boom in crime related businesses and hardship.

Later they will come back to shout marginalization when seeds of IPOB/ESN begins to germinate and bear hardship.

D guy above me escaped from a mental hospital. BTW ESN don de burn truck now to pain buhari . Stupid is a talent

Anybody supporting this sit at home is lazy and needs his head examined. Sit at home is evil and will drag our region backwards

Shut up there Bishop!

So you don't know that our sit at home is affecting Buhari. That is why he didn't attend his son's wedding but sent IPOB's Lord and saviour Atiku to represent him.

Bishop we are going to kill you for this statement.

Thanks very much bishop.

Anybody supporting this useless sit at home is useless, irresponsible, lazy and an enemy to the South East.

Don't mind them, I can imagine DSS officers in tears, wearing sack clothes, weeping terribly because Igbos decided not to make money on Monday, it's really killing them.