Traders at the Onitsha Main Market have pledged to stop complying with the Monday sit-at-home order, declaring their readiness to resume full business activities in line with the Anambra State Government’s directive.
The commitment was made on Thursday during an interactive session between Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo and market leaders from across the state.
The meeting followed the recent closure of the Onitsha Main Market and the prolonged Monday shutdown, which has severely disrupted commercial activities across the South-East.
Speaking on behalf of the traders, the Chairman of Onitsha Main Market, Mr. Chijioke Okpalugo, said traders were prepared to reopen and operate fully on Mondays in support of the governor’s vision of “One Anambra.” However, he appealed for improved security to ensure the safety of lives and property.
In his remarks, Governor Soludo reiterated that all markets and shops in Anambra State must remain open on every working day, including Mondays, stressing that the era of sit-at-home–induced closures was over.
The governor clarified that the sit-at-home was not linked to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, noting that Kanu does not support the action. He questioned why the practice persisted in parts of Anambra when it does not occur in Umuahia, Kanu’s hometown.
Soludo further alleged that many of those enforcing the sit-at-home were not indigenes of Anambra State and warned that the government would adopt stringent measures if the defiance continued.
In response, market leaders called for a visible and sustained security presence in markets, the full operation of motor parks to ease the movement of traders and customers, and decisive action against individuals who benefit from or enforce the sit-at-home order.
