By Steve Oko

Similar to the August 1-10 #EndBadGovernance protests, the #FearlessOctober1 protest, scheduled to commence today (Tuesday), was completely ignored by residents of Umuahia, the Abia State capital.

There were no demonstrations or processions by any group in the city, as residents went about their daily activities without disruption. Shops and business centers across the metropolis remained open, and traffic moved freely without any interruptions.

A trader along Uzuakoli Road, who chose to remain anonymous, explained that people from the South East were reluctant to participate in the protests due to concerns about potential repercussions.

“It’s not that we’re not feeling the hardship,” he said. “But if we join the protest, it will be turned against us. Once they hear South East youths have joined, security operatives will turn their guns on us and start shooting. The next day, they’ll go house to house arresting our youths. So, we’re not interested. Let them carry on with their protest. We didn’t create this hardship. They said it was their turn to rule, so let them fix the crisis they created.”

It is noteworthy that the South East, including Abia State, also largely ignored the nationwide protests in August.