The Monday sit-at-home order declared in the South-East has been converted to a day of town union, club, organisation, and other societal meetings in Anambra State.
In most streets of Onitsha, Nnewi, Ekwulobia, Obosi and some parts of Awka, people were seen in various groups and different locations having their meetings.
Before the development, Sundays used to be a period for such meetings.
Our correspondent observed that some youths, who do not belong to any association, were seen jogging along major roads, unmolested, even as the entire major roads were deserted.
As usual, markets, banks, offices, motor parks, petrol stations remained shut while there were scant vehicular movements.
However, in recent times, the exercise has been devoid of the usual harassment and intimidation that characterised it some weeks back.
At the popular Peoples’ Club building, along the Onitsha/Owerri Road, and the Travellers’ Hotel, along the ever-busy Onitsha/Asaba/Benin Expressway, town union meetings were ongoing when our correspondent visited.
Reacting to the development, the chairman of a social club in Onitsha, Mr Ikem Ozonachi, said, “We now have our weekly meetings on Monday since it is a work-free day.
“Formerly it was held every Saturday, but we resolved that, since every Monday is sit-at-home, we should shift it to Mondays to enable us to work or trade as the case may be.”
Also speaking, a Nnewi-based businessman, Chief Philip Yagazie, said, “Business activities have been paralysed on Mondays, so instead of being indoors doing nothing, we resolved to shift our weekly weekend meetings to Mondays.”
Meanwhile, schools, banks, markets, courts, shops, offices, and local government secretariats, among others, remained shut as of the time of filing this report.
