President Muhammadu is scheduled to visit Imo State on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, which has clashed with the appearance of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in a federal high court.

In view of Kanu’s court appearance and in line with tradition since August 20, 2021, his group, Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB), has declared Tuesday a sit-at-home day in South East.

The sit-at-home declaration by IPOB ahead of Buhari’s visit on Tuesday is a playback of what transpired when the president also visited Imo on a working tour on September 9, 2021, when IPOB equally directed a sit-at-home then and Buhari was very much peeved by it as Imolites never came out in their numbers to welcome him.

President Buhari, according to the Honourable Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Hon. Declan Emelumba, is in the state to commission projects executed by the administration of Governor Hope Uzodimma.

According to Emelumba, among the projects the president will be commissioning included the three newly Orlu-Owerri Road, first phase of the Okigwe-Owerri Road, and the Imo State House of Assembly Complex.

The Orlu-Owerri Expressway is 71kms and runs through Owerri Municipality, through Owerri North LGA, via Mbaitoli LGA and linking Njaba LGA, into Orlu LGA. It was was done by Craneburg Construction Company.

A Governor aide on Research and Publicity, Nze Ogubundu Nwadike, noted that “It’s pertinent to mention that the completed Orlu-Owerri Road that Mr. President will be commissioning serves as vital links to other important economic roads like Owerri-Onitsha Road, through Egbeada Road, Nworieubi Road, Umuaka-Ukwuoji Road, Okwuodor-Awo Omamma Road; all leading into Owerri-Onitsha Expressway”.

“At Banana Junction in Orlu LGA, the end of the newly constructed Orlu-Owerri Road, the road links Orlu-Ihiala Road as well as the Orlu-Mgbee-Akokwa-Uruala-Uga that Governor Uzodimma recently flagged off its construction.

“The new road will no doubt bring new hope of better life for rural areas and rural dwellers, where there are many farms and cottage industries. Economic activities will certainly be enhanced in the areas by the successful completion of the road.

“Expectedly, the people of the aforementioned five beneficiary LGAs are very happy with the construction of the road and even happier to hear that President Buhari will be performing the commissioning of the road. They profusely thanked Governor Uzodimma for constructing the road which for decades remained a nightmare to motorists and commuters”.

The second completed project Buhari will be commissioning is the first phase of the 114km (dualized) Okigwe-Owerri Road, which runs from Owerri Municipal, through Owerri North LGA, crisscrossing Ikeduru LGA, via Isiala Mbano LGA running to Onuimo LGA, down into Okigwe LGA.

The first phase stops at Anara Junction of the road. The completed sections of the road include the hitherto very problematic and intractable Ekemele Junction, that was perennially in dilapidated conditions, requiring many hours to cross over, causing motorists to use terribly bad village ways to escape the road scourge that was known as “Ekemele Junction”. It was also executed by Carenburg Construction Nigeria Ltd.

Commenting on the importance of this road, Nwadike noted thus; “It’s economic value is significant, in terms serving and servicing rural areas and dwellers, with the agricultural practices and cottage industries in the beneficiary LGAs.

“Trips that previously took several excruciatingly depressing hours, now take tens of minutes to achieve to and fro Owerri city to any point on the brand new Okigwe-Owerri Road”.

Meanwhile, there are indications that the sit-at-home as directed by IPOB may seriously affect the fun fare that is usually associated with a presidential visit. This is so because most respondents spoken to by Business Hallmark on Buhari’s visit confirmed they would observe that day as a lockdown.

“My brother, let me be honest with you, sit-at-home is also a lockdown. I am not going to come out. I run an electrical shop in Owerri here. IPOB has said there is lockdown on Tuesday”, Eze Chikamma noted.