Author: Gist Correspondent

Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has declared that his administration will not reverse its decision to enforce Monday business activities, warning that shops and properties in Onitsha Main Market and other markets across the state risk revocation over continued closures.

Soludo made this known on Wednesday during a media conference, where he reaffirmed his administration’s resolve to completely eradicate the sit-at-home culture in Anambra State.

The governor said there was “no going back” on the directive, stressing that all markets must open on Mondays in line with government policy.

He explained that the closure of Onitsha Main Market followed the refusal of traders to heed earlier warnings, despite repeated assurances by the government that adequate security had been put in place.

According to him, any market that fails to operate on Mondays would face similar sanctions, describing the persistent closures as “pure sabotage” of the state’s economy and collective development.

Soludo questioned the rationale behind the action, noting that traders operated daily, including Sundays, throughout the yuletide season, only to shut down businesses afterwards.

He disclosed that the government would intensify engagement with leaders of various market associations to restate and enforce operational rules across the state.

The governor described the enforcement of Monday market activities as a deliberate effort to “save Anambra’s economy and secure the future of our children.”

Assuring residents of the state’s safety, Soludo maintained that sit-at-home effectively ended about two years ago, adding that those enforcing Monday closures were criminals bent on keeping Anambra economically backward.

He noted that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) had publicly distanced itself from the sit-at-home directive, explaining that many residents previously complied only out of fear and coercion.

Soludo also recalled his visit to IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), where Kanu allegedly expressed displeasure with the sit-at-home practice.

“On January 26, everywhere was open except the Main Market, which is a government-owned facility,” the governor said, adding that the market would remain shut for the week until compliance was assured.

He further stated that the market belongs to the Anambra State Government, noting that most occupants were operating illegally.

Soludo warned that continued defiance could lead to the cancellation of shop allocations and the repurposing of the facility.

Dismissing calls for the citation of specific enabling laws, the governor said the appropriate legal framework was already being put in place.

He added that Anambra recorded one of its safest Christmas periods, with markets operating freely throughout the festive season.

Describing the Monday closures as “plain laziness,” Soludo insisted that the state could not afford to operate on a different economic calendar.

The governor said his administration had continued to engage stakeholders, offered amnesty programmes, and established a bureau for missing persons, while more than 15,300 youths benefited from skills acquisition initiatives aimed at rehabilitation.

He reiterated that Anambra remains open for business from Monday to Saturday, while public service runs from Monday to Friday, warning that public servants absent on Mondays would receive only 80 per cent of their salaries.

Soludo concluded by pledging that his administration would sustain a “massive onslaught” against criminal elements and their sponsors across the state.