The group said the region was earning a bad reputation for violence instead of its reputation for trade and investment.
The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, has urged Igbos to abandon the two weeks “Sit-at-home” order Simon Ekpa imposed on the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.
The organisation implored all the sons and daughters of Igboland to go about their lawful businesses.
The group’s President-General, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, passed the message via a statement issued on Monday in Enugu.
Mr Iwuanyanwu, while condemning the incessant call for “Sit-at-home” in the South-East, estimated that more than 250 people in the region had lost their lives through the enforcement of the order.
He said it was very disheartening that the people of South-East were facing hardships because of it; and stressed that several non-state actors unleashed mayhem on the people.
He described the development as ‘unfortunate’.
“As a result, several people have been killed, maimed and properties worth millions of naira have been destroyed.
“In addition, the order has been instilling fears and trepidation in the good people of the zone, making it difficult for people to come out to transact their lawful businesses on the ‘Sit-at-home’ days,” he said.
The president-general of the Igbo group said the region earned a reputation for micro, small and medium-scale enterprises, indigenous manufacturing, fabrication and agro-allied industries.
He said several authorities put the losses at trillions of Naira each day of the ‘Sit-at- home’.
