Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has ordered the closure of the Onitsha Main Market for one week following traders’ failure to comply with the state government’s directive to ignore the Monday sit-at-home order.
The directive was issued on Monday during an on-the-spot assessment of the market by the governor, accompanied by senior government officials. He warned that the closure could be extended if traders continue to defy the directive, noting that security agencies had sealed the market to enforce compliance.
Soludo said the continued closure of shops on Mondays, despite repeated assurances of improved security and calls to resume normal activities, amounted to economic sabotage. According to him, the absence of traders reflected a lingering atmosphere of fear that the government was determined to address.
“The government cannot stand by while a few individuals deliberately undermine public safety and disregard official directives meant to restore normalcy,” the governor said, describing the shutdown as a protective measure for law-abiding citizens.
He further warned that failure to reopen the market after the one-week closure would result in a one-month shutdown, stressing that traders must either comply with government directives or relocate their businesses elsewhere.
On Monday, a joint task force comprising the police, the army and other security agencies was deployed around the market, locking the gates and securing the perimeter to enforce the order.
The development underscores the state government’s ongoing efforts to abolish the Monday sit-at-home practice and restore economic activities. Attention is expected to focus on whether traders will return when the market is scheduled to reopen next Monday, a move that could shape the future of commercial activities in Anambra State on Mondays.
The state government had earlier directed traders and businesses to operate normally on Mondays as part of measures to stabilise the economy and end disruptions caused by repeated sit-at-home observances.
Meanwhile, the government has announced that, from February 2026, civil servants’ salaries will be paid on a pro-rata basis, tied to attendance on Mondays. The Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, said the decision was taken during the end-of-tenure retreat of the Anambra State Executive Council in Awka, ahead of the administration’s new term beginning on March 17, 2026.
