The Imo State Commissioner for Trade and Investment, Comrade Simon Ebegbulem, has decried what he described as the collossal damage to Igbo businesses across the South-East in the last couple of years, warning that the state government would shut down businesses, including banks who fail to open for business from Monday next week.
Addressing a world press conference in Owerri, the Imo State capital, on Thursday, Ebegbulem, extolled the strides of the Hope Uzodimma Administration in the state, stating that the governor had continued to bring development and deliver the dividends of democracy to the people of the state in the past three years.
Ebegbulem likened the Monday sit-at-home campaign across the South-East to a poisonous arrow, adding that it was designed to impoverish the poor masses and aimed at destroying their means of livelihood.
He disclosed that the state government had already rolled out palliatives to the people across the 27 local government areas to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal and its attendant challenges, ahead of further intervention by the Federal Government.
According to him, Governor Hope Uzodimma had directed the relevant agencies to review stocks’ availability and start responding to the plight of the people of the state, particularly, those in the most vulnerable category.
“Governor Hope Uzodimma has already drawn up plans and distributing palliatives. We ascertain that, the most vulnerable at the moment are PLWDs. Because they are the ones that go out to beg or do some menial jobs in order to put food on their table.
“Each beneficiary will go home with 10kg of rice, 12.5kg of beans, 10kg of maize, spaghetti, salt and seasoning and other essentials. Aside that, high discount pavilions will be open all around, to allow people but essentials, at subsidised rate,” he said.
He added that the distribution would go on to other categories of people according to the magnitude of their vulnerability.
He warned that the authorities will have no other option than to shut any market cluster or group that disrupt free flow of businesses in the state.
Ebegbulem also commended the Senate, over its resolution condemning the Monday sit-at-home campaign, saying it was the right thing to have done.
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