The South Eastern part of Nigeria comprises five states; Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, Anambra and Abia. For many months now, the region has been battling with a crisis strengthened by agitation for secession.
The sit-at-home order declared by the Indigenous People of Biafra to protest the re-arrest of their leader, Nnamdi Kanu, incidents like burning of police stations, clashes between security operatives and unknown gunmen has become the new normal for residents of the region.
There has been extensive media coverage on the conflict in the South East, many experts have opined on what they think the problems are and how they should be solved.
In this report, Dataphyte counts the costs in the voice of the people paying the price for the conflict in the region, the residents. The people recount the impact of the crisis on their businesses, socio-economic losses, hardship and their thoughts on protagonists and antagonists in a tale that has no real winners.
Fear, Uncertainty Amidst Slow Business
In Imo state, apprehension, fear, and uncertainty were the prevailing sentiments. Respondents are wary of responding to anyone even when shown proof of identity. Shops and business places all operate with thinly veiled distrust of anyone not known to them. When they did talk, the predominant concern was the economic hardships occasioned by the crisis.
Pius Cineke, the Chief Executive Officer of Peacemakers Sound System, a business that sells musical instruments and various sound gadgets, narrated that prior to the problems in the region, his weekend sales ranged between 200,000 Naira to 500,000 Naira but according to him, sales worth N20,000 is now considered lucky.
For him, things have not returned to normal and he blames this on fear. According to him, the presence of soldiers on the streets of the region scares people away from coming to markets or other public spaces. He claims that while unknown gunmen have continued to threaten security, people are more intimidated by soldiers.
Chidebere, another business owner who deals in electronic equipment noted that he and his family have begun to see the inconveniences and hardships as their new normal, according to him, he barely takes home three thousand naira daily unlike before the crisis when he made far more.
At Okigwe, which is Imo state’s third-largest city, the Okigwe market leaders echoed similar concerns; business is down, survival has become both a challenge and a clarion call.
The President of the market told Dataphyte that leading the market and the traders have become more difficult as many traders fail to show up at stalls due to fear.
Before the crisis, about 1000 traders regularly conducted business in the major market, now, barely 500 traders show up regularly at the markets.
He narrated that although they still open on Mondays despite the sit-at-home order, things are still extremely difficult. According to him, he often has to give financial support to both the traders and members of his team but his support is insufficient when weighed against the challenges people are facing.
Traders who sell perishable goods complain that they suffer a double-edged loss as they are unable to sell enough goods before they spoil thus losing out on both investment and profit.
One of the traders retorted sharply to questions about her business “Why will you ask me how I am surviving, I cannot even feed my family,” while showing some of her spoiled stock.
The President of Imo International Cluster market, Nwosu Joe, while speaking to Dataphyte stated that life has been unbearable since the crisis began. He said while they still try opening on Mondays, many of his members no longer come to their stalls. He noted that the leaders at the market have called several meetings to encourage members, but the response has been lukewarm.
A father of three children himself, Nwosu admits living through the situation has been an unending struggle reminiscing of times, before the crisis, when he was both wholesaler and retailer selling to both customers and other traders. According to him he has lost millions and is unable to replenish his stock to attract the few customers who come by.
The manager of one of Enugu’s leading hotels, The Reserve, told Dataphyte that they lose over one million monthly to the crisis as patronage has dropped due to fear throughout the region. Although he acknowledged an uptake in customers and turn over on Mondays because anyone who lodges on Sunday will have to stay over on Monday because of the sit-in order.
Chibueze runs a Pharmaceutical store, and told Dataphyte that his family barely has what to eat, he noted that sales have gone down drastically and opening up his shop daily has been a risk. “We are uncertain of what will happen. Things have become so hard to the extent that feeding is hard” he told Dataphyte.
Pharmacist Chibueze
For Amarachi Nwankwo, the Chief Executive Officer of God’s Grace Diagnostic Limited, one of the biggest in UmuahiaAbia state, the crisis has eaten deep into his business. Despite running a business that is considered essential services, he stated that he barely opens up on Mondays.
“Things have become hard, sometimes, we tell patients to come around for an urgent check-up but they refuse to come because they are scared to, even when their ailments are life-threatening. We tried to deploy a means of going to their homes but how long can we do that? It is not as effective “.
He narrated how some patients would struggle to come just to run away when they hear rumours of some attackers coming especially on Mondays.
The health entrepreneur noted that paying the salaries of workers has been another challenge, “I have at least 12 staff and I pay them but it has been extra difficult doing so now. Revenue has reduced but even employees are at our mercy. Although we are still trying our best it has been hard”
Despite the importance of health care, he noted that the crisis has made it hard to access health services.
He also faulted the handling of the economic impact of the crisis by the government.
He noted that despite the difficulty caused by the crisis, government policies are not favourable to the survival of their businesses.
Felix Emenimi, the manager of PFF, a leading restaurant in Abia State, shares the same sentiments as all the other respondents. He told Dataphyte that they have had to reduce the salary of workers by 50% instead of sacking them.
“Sales are down, in fact, we had to change the mode of sales to only selling based on order to avoid waste. Now, what we pray for is to break even and survive”
He noted that the 12 workers understand what the company is going through and are grateful to still have a job.
Peace Mass Transit, is a leading transport company in South-Eastern Nigeria, the Abakaliki
branch manager of the company, Emeka Collins, told Dataphyte that safety is a requirement for the kind of service they provide and although he stated that they deploy security personnel, transporting people and goods is still a huge risk.
Wherever you turn, one clear impact of the crisis in the South East is economic downturn, an unfortunate paradox considering the Southeast’s reputation for industry and business. Although the sit-at-home order has now been revoked, the effects linger on.
IPOB Orders, Unknown Gunmen, and Military Presence; Visages of Fear
Business losses are not the only effects of the crisis facing the Southeast, there is palpable fear amongst residents. The random killings by unknown gunmen, the sit-at-home order declared by the Indigenous People of Biafra(IPOB) on the 9th of August 2021, and the military’s intervention in the state have contributed to a heightened sense of danger.
Checkpoints are everywhere on the roads, soldiers carrying their weapons openly man these checkpoints and everyone gets “the third degree”; questioned, sometimes searched and in one case in one of the cities Dataphyte visited, rough-handled and beaten if the soldiers happen to be unsatisfied with the response received from “offenders”.
A respondent who sought anonymity noted that whenever he opens his stall, he does that with a lot of uncertainty. “We could just hear that they are coming, they are coming and we would all run away. Sometimes, it is the soldiers that would come to the market and everyone will run away abandoning their stalls” the respondent stated.
The fear of “something or someone is coming” appears to be the reason why traders are not returning to their stalls.
The Public Relations Officer of the Okigwe Market noted that people are scared of coming to the market. According to him “If people have not died in this market, we have had people killed just close by to the market. There is no way you will want to patronize traders and you see someone was killed close to the market, you would not come around. Sometimes it is soldiers chasing IPOB and sometimes it is the other way round where it is IPOB chasing security officers” he noted.
Schools are just as impacted by the crisis as other businesses in the region. Students and leaders of unions in tertiary institutions in the state spoke to Dataphyte and noted that some of their students have been victims of molestation.
The Public Relations Officer of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Students’ Union, Onuoha Daniel, told Dataphyte that while the school has tried to contain the effects of the crisis, students have been at the receiving end of illegal arrests and molestation.
Examinations and academic activities barely happen on Mondays in the school.
The Chief Judge of Nnamdi Azikwe University Student Union noted that although the school tries to provide security, students are often at a loss of where they can or cannot go for fear of arrests and/or molestations.
The Principal of the Uwana Community Secondary School in Ebonyi state, Orji Orji, told Dataphyte that they try to encourage students to come to school every day of the week including Mondays and anyone who does not come will be expected to ‘cover up’. However, students often don’t show up on Mondays.
It is a regular feature to see students on Mondays who stroll streets without going for their daily learning; the most thinkable reason is their excuse; fear.
Abia state capital Umuahia on a Monday morning had sparse human and vehicular traffic. Dataphyte gathered that inter-state transporters agreed not to travel or offer services on Mondays due to attacks on their vehicles.
On that same Monday of Dataphyte’s visit to Umuahia, a police force base was attacked with casualties recorded. The incidence underscores the people’s fears.
Deserted Streets in Umuahia on a Monday
In Enugu, Monday mornings were also quiet with only private vehicles and few motorcycles observed on the streets.
Respondents Blame Government Negligence, Lack of ‘freedom’ for Increasing IPOB Sentiments
One of the respondents who sought anonymity said that they suffer negligence and lack of ‘freedom’. “This whole crisis is caused because we lack freedom, although the losses from the sit-at-home order are plenty, we would sit home for three days if that will earn us freedom. We are scared of soldiers, not IPOB”
Another respondent who leads a major park in the East told this reporter that they have been neglected by the government for a long time.
He lamented the lack of basic amenities in the East and stated that personally, he struggled to send five children to school but now they can’t find jobs. According to him, the struggle is to ensure that attention is further paid to the region.
The Eze of an Autonomous community in Imo state, HRH Okpara Uche, noted that while traditional rulers are targets of attacks, invasion of farms by herders is another concern that emboldens IPOB agitations. He noted that for instance in his community, they have reported severally to the police on the incidents and is a major security dilemma they face. He lamented the government’s neglect, noting that the people are only remembered during elections.
He also claimed that police sometimes kill an innocent person and name such an IPOB member while IPOB members while chasing police may kill civilians by stray bullets.
Biafra Bulletin Circulates in the East
Dataphyte’s investigation showed that a Bulletin dedicated to Biafra and advancing its courses is now circulating parts of Eastern Nigeria.
The young man marketing the weekly bulletin kept talking about the ills done to the region and why Biafra is inevitable. He considers himself a part of the struggle.
The Bulletin called “Biafra Times” seen by Dataphyte contains several reports that are incendiary in tone and images with the tag “Biafrans in Captivity” and while Dataphyte could not independently verify the claims of the magazine, this magazine appears to be popular and contains reports that could potentially whip up sentiments in favour of IPOB and against the government and its agencies.
Even the Government Feel the Bite with Decline in Government Revenue as PAYE, Direct Assessment Income falls between Q1, Q2 2021
Even the government has suffered some loss with declining internally generated revenue between the first quarter of 2021 and the second quarter of the same year.
Dataphyte also noted a sharp decline in the Direct assessment revenue and Pay As You Earn tax between Q1 and Q2 of 2021. These declines may not be unconnected to the impact of the crisis, which has affected business profitability and likely affected their ability to pay workers, led to job losses and affected tax payments which are tied to government earnings.
PAYE and Direct Assessment are responsible for the bulk of state government revenue and the fall in these incomes will affect the total revenue available to the states. The direct impact of the crisis on the earnings of the people has a multiplier effect on the revenue of the government.
As at the time of this report, the Nigeria Bureau of Statics was yet to release the Q3 revenue figure of the states however it is likely that as the crisis has persisted government revenues in these states revenue is further impacted. Other areas where the crises may have affected government revenues include Road tax.
Experts Offer Advice on the Way Forward to Socio-Economic Rejuvenation for the Region
Security expert and consultant, Senator Iroegbu while speaking to Dataphyte noted that the crisis in the region has escalated as a result of the break in trust among the people, security operatives and government.
He noted that as far back as after the Biafra war, sentiments such as marginalization and segregation of the region have been feasted upon by different sections of persons. He noted that allegations of mistreatment by security operatives have been left unattended for long periods of time.
The security expert also blamed the government for the handling of the crisis from the onset, according to him, the actions of the government made IPOB more popular, especially arresting people under the pretext of supporting the group especially when they do not create any harm to the society, he noted that this made a bad situation, where the people were already psychologically opposed to “oppression”, worse.
While acknowledging the extremes of the IPOB on occasions and the right of law enforcement agencies to defend themselves in the face of issues such as the burning of police stations, he advocated the rebuilding of trust and engaging the people from the grassroots to ensure that sentiments that are capable of causing more harms such as lopsided appointments are addressed. Iroegbu noted that the benefit enjoyed by those agitating is their capture of the grassroots.
He also told Dataphyte that the region would benefit from state and community policing, he says this development will aid in building trust with the people and ensure that soldiers who should not be on the streets are taken off the streets and confidence is restored.
In the short term, he advocated that there should be dialogue in the region, calling on relevant authorities to engage stakeholders towards changing approaches to airing grievances, according to him, this will help heal different notions and ensure that there is a conviction.
While acknowledging the downward trend of things in the region, he noted that beyond hard approaches, what the region needs now is efficient communication and addressing some of the issues that had been raised before now by stakeholders which were neglected and have snowballed into crisis. Issues such as resource control, alleged marginalization, and ensuring that the spread of goodwill further leads to conflict resolution. According to him, this and other political solutions are pivotal to bringing back the economic strength of the region.
The Lead Partner of SEEDi, Celestine Okeke, noted that the crisis has become very complicated because of its internal nature. He disagreed with IPOB’s approach to their agitations.
Okeke noted that there is a need for mechanisms to resolve the spreading issues in the region. He stated that a lack of knowledge on who exactly can end the crisis at this point has made it more dangerous.
According to him, unless people at the grassroots are engaged, the national leadership of the country cannot alone end the crisis. He recommended communication and dialogue to quell the crisis and ensure a return to normalcy.