Traders at the iconic Onitsha Main Market have pledged to end their compliance with the Monday sit-at-home order, vowing to resume full business activities in support of Governor Chukwuma Soludo's directive. The assurance came during an interactive session between the governor and market leaders in Anambra State on Thursday.
The Chairman of Onitsha Main Market, Mr. Chijioke Okpalugo, stated that traders were ready to open on Mondays to support the "One Anambra" vision but appealed for enhanced security to guarantee safety. This follows years of economic paralysis in the South-East due to the enforced weekly shutdown.
Governor Soludo declared that all markets and shops in the state must remain open every working day, asserting that the era of sit-at-home-induced closures was over. He dismissed the notion that the order was linked to the detention of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, calling it a "criminal enterprise."
"If it doesn’t happen in Umuahia, his hometown, why Onitsha and Nnewi?" Soludo questioned. He warned that the government would deploy extreme measures against continued defiance and alleged that many enforcers were not Anambra indigenes.
The governor also presented traders with a "renovate or rebuild" ultimatum for the market, promising either a complete redevelopment or a comprehensive overhaul. Market leaders requested sustained security, operational motor parks, and action against sit-at-home enforcers.
Soludo assured an overhaul of market security, pledging to protect commercial centers from harassment.
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