The Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has reached an agreement with market leaders across the state to resume full business activities from Monday to Saturday, marking a major push to end the long-running sit-at-home practice that has crippled commercial life in the state.
The agreement was reached in Awka on Saturday during a meeting between the governor and executives of major markets, including the Onitsha Main Market, which was recently shut for one week by the government over traders’ continued closure on Mondays.
According to a statement by the Commissioner for Information, Dr Law Mefor, Soludo said the persistent sit-at-home observance had inflicted severe damage on Anambra’s economy, discouraging investors, disrupting livelihoods and shrinking government revenue.
He alleged that enforcement of the illegal order was largely being carried out by non-indigenes and criminal elements, insisting that the practice no longer served any legitimate political cause.
“The sit-at-home started as a protest, but it has now degenerated into a criminal enterprise that does not advance the interest of anyone, including Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” the governor said.
Soludo disclosed that his administration had engaged traders, community leaders and religious institutions for over four years in a bid to end the Monday shutdown, but said the government would now move decisively to restore normalcy.
“We discussed, pleaded and even prayed with churches in April 2022. It is time for action. Markets and shops must open on every working day,” he declared.
The governor warned that the state government would deploy what he described as “extreme measures” against individuals or groups that attempt to enforce illegal closures, stressing that Anambra must not remain hostage to fear and intimidation.
As part of efforts to revitalise commercial hubs, Soludo also presented market leaders with a “renovate or rebuild” option for the Onitsha Main Market, proposing either a complete demolition and reconstruction into a world-class facility or a comprehensive modernisation of existing structures.
He emphasised that whichever option was adopted, Monday closures would no longer be tolerated.
Responding, the Chairman of the Onitsha Main Market, Mr Chijioke Okpalugo, assured the governor of traders’ readiness to comply with the directive, adding that shops would resume operations on Mondays in line with the administration’s “One Anambra” vision.
However, market leaders raised concerns over security and logistics, noting that fear of attacks, skeletal transport services and weak enforcement had previously hindered Monday trading.
They called for increased security presence in markets, full reopening of motor parks to enable inflow of buyers from outside the state, and firm action against individuals benefiting from or sponsoring sit-at-home activities.
In his response, Soludo assured traders that the government was overhauling the state’s security architecture, particularly around major commercial centres, to guarantee safety for traders and shoppers.
“Anambra and Igbo land will move forward. We will not surrender our economy to criminals,” he said.
The governor’s move is seen as a decisive step toward restoring investor confidence and reviving economic activities in the commercial heart of the South-East, especially in Onitsha, one of West Africa’s largest markets.
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