Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has issued a stern warning to traders in the state, insisting that they must open their shops for business from Monday to Saturday or relocate elsewhere.
The warning came on Monday, as the governor ordered the immediate closure of Onitsha Main Market for one week over traders’ continued observance of the Monday sit-at-home, despite repeated government directives abolishing the practice.
Governor Soludo took the decision during an unscheduled visit to the market, where he observed that a significant number of shops remained shut in defiance of the state government’s order lifting the sit-at-home linked to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Addressing the situation, the governor described the persistent closure of businesses on Mondays as unacceptable and warned that the government would no longer tolerate actions capable of undermining economic activities and public order in the state.
He stressed that traders must either comply fully with the government’s directive by operating their businesses throughout the official workweek or vacate the state, adding that further sanctions would be imposed on markets that continue to defy the order.
Addressing traders, journalists, and security officials at the scene, Soludo warned that the state government would no longer tolerate partial compliance with its policy on full economic activities from Monday to Saturday.
He announced that the market would remain shut for the rest of the week and reopen the following Monday, stressing that traders who fail to resume business on that day would face tougher sanctions.
“The Area Commander is here, this whole area, we are going to cordon it off in the first instance for the first one week,” the governor said.
“If we come on Monday and any shop is locked, we will lock it for one month. Do you hear what I’m telling you?
“Anyone who is ready to do business should come, but anyone who is not ready to do business should go. Do you hear me?
“I don’t know wherever you come from, and wherever you come from, Anambra is open to everybody. Everybody is welcome to trade in Anambra.”
According to the governor, any shop found locked when the market reopens will be sealed for one month.
Soludo emphasised that Anambra State remains open to traders from all parts of the country but insisted that anyone choosing to do business in the state must comply with its laws and regulations.
He stated that markets are expected to operate from Monday through Saturday and advised traders unwilling to meet this requirement to relocate elsewhere.
“But if you must trade here, you must abide by the rules. And the rules are that markets are open Monday to Saturday,” Governor Soludo said.
“If you are not prepared to open your shop Monday to Saturday, then leave Anambra and go elsewhere, period.
“This market will be shut down for the remainder of this week. It will not be open tomorrow, it will not be open on Wednesday, on Thursday, or on Friday.
“It will be open on Monday, and if we come on Monday, for those who decided that they want holidays, we will give them holidays.”
Reinforcing the governor’s position, a statement issued on Monday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Christian Aburime, described the action as a decisive step to enforce the abolition of the long-standing Monday sit-at-home order in the state.
According to the statement, the governor’s decision followed the failure of traders at the iconic market, one of the largest commercial centres in Nigeria, to fully resume business activities on Monday, despite repeated warnings from the state government.
The statement noted that the sit-at-home practice, which emerged from security concerns and separatist agitations in the South-East, has been officially abolished by the Anambra State Government as part of efforts to restore normalcy, strengthen security, and revive economic activities.
Aburime added that the closure would last for seven days, during which all trading activities at the market would be suspended, sending a clear signal that defiance of government directives would attract penalties.
The Soludo administration also reiterated that Mondays must remain full working days across the state, warning that similar sanctions could be applied to other markets, schools, and public institutions found to be non-compliant, including salary deductions for civil servants.
The development forms part of the state government’s broader push to permanently end the sit-at-home phenomenon, which has continued to disrupt commercial life in parts of the South-East despite reported improvements in security across Anambra State.
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