By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
Anambra State governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has described the defiance of traders at the Onitsha Main Market to the state government’s directive to disregard the Monday sit-at-home order as “plain economic sabotage.”
The governor, during a visit to the market on Monday, January 26, along with some of his aides and other government officials, also ordered the market closed for one week following the defiance.
Soludo warned of a possible extension of the closure order if traders fail to comply with the directive to disregard the Monday sit-at-home order, adding that security agencies have sealed the market to enforce it.
He noted that the move was aimed at salvaging the protracted struggle over control of economic life in the South-East on Monday since the commencement of the sit-at-home order in 2021 by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to protest the arrest and detention of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
According to the governor, despite repeated assurances of enhanced security and appeals to reclaim public spaces, many traders at the Onitsha market chose to keep their stalls locked.
He noted that the action by the traders signified a quiet rebellion that spoke volumes about the lingering climate of fear in the state and the South East region.
“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 closure is a protective measure for law-abiding citizens,” Soludo said.
The governor further warned that if the market fails to reopen after the one-week shutdown, it will be sealed for one month.
He said, “We are going to cordon this whole place off for the first one week. If we come on Monday and it’s locked, we are going to lock the market for one month.”
The governor’s order was immediately enforced by a joint task force comprising police, army, and other security agencies.
Recall that the state government had earlier directed traders and businesses to continue normal activities on Mondays as part of efforts to abolish the Monday sit-at-home order and restore economic stability and end disruptions caused by recurring observances.
The government had on Saturday, January 24, said it would begin pro-rata salary payments for workers across the state as part of efforts to end the Monday sit-at-home.
