Onitsha Main Market, regarded as one of the largest commercial centres in West Africa, has been a focal point in the state government’s campaign to end the long-standing Monday sit-at-home tradition in the Southeast.
Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has ordered the immediate closure of Onitsha Main Market for one week following the refusal of traders to open for business on Monday in line with the state government’s directive abolishing the sit-at-home practice.
The development was disclosed on Monday in a statement by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Christian Aburime, who said the decision followed what the government described as continued defiance by the leadership and traders at the market.
Onitsha Main Market, regarded as one of the largest commercial centres in West Africa, has been a focal point in the state government’s campaign to end the long-standing Monday sit-at-home tradition in the Southeast.
According to Aburime, the shutdown is “more than an administrative penalty,” describing it as part of a broader effort by the Soludo administration to reclaim Mondays as normal business days and restore economic life across the state.
Governor Soludo was quoted as saying that the government would not tolerate actions capable of undermining its efforts to restore normalcy.
“The government cannot stand by while a few individuals willfully undermine public safety and disregard official directives meant to restore normalcy. This is plain economic sabotage. We are not going to allow this,” the governor said.
He warned that tougher sanctions would follow if the market fails to comply after the one-week closure.
“If the market does not reopen for business after this one-week shutdown, it will be sealed for a month. And so on and so forth,” Soludo added.
The governor also issued a stern ultimatum to traders, insisting that they must decide whether to do business under the government’s rules or vacate the market.
“You either decide that you are going to trade here or you go elsewhere. I am very serious about this,” he said.
Security sources confirmed that a joint task force comprising the police, army, and other security agencies was deployed to the market to enforce the shutdown and secure the premises. Traders who attempted to access the market were reportedly turned back.
The Monday sit-at-home practice, initially linked to separatist agitations and insecurity in the Southeast, has officially been abolished by the Anambra State Government, which says security has significantly improved.
According to the Soludo administration, the strict enforcement is necessary to break what it describes as a “psychological barrier” that continues to keep traders away from their businesses despite government assurances.