‘Refuse to open, we take over your shop’ – Soludo warns defiant Onitsha traders

By Tolulope Oke

Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, on Wednesday escalated the enforcement of his earlier directive to traders at Onitsha Main Market, warning that shops of defiant traders will be forcibly closed if they continue ignoring government orders to open for business on Mondays.

The development follows Soludo’s initial announcement on Monday, when he ordered a one-week closure of the market over traders’ persistent defiance of the state’s anti-Monday sit-at-home directive.

Addressing the situation during an on-the-spot inspection of the market this afternoon, the governor said past efforts to persuade traders had failed, and the government is now moving to a more assertive approach.

“If you deny 20% of workdays in a year, you are undermining our prosperity, job creation, and the economy. In 2022 and 2023, we fought it. In 2024 and 2025, we pleaded. But in 2026, we are shifting to gear 4, no backing down. Anyone who closes their shop, we will help them close it for one week. From next week, if they refuse to open by Monday, I will shut down the market and take over some of them,” Soludo declared.

He described traders’ repeated Monday closures as deliberate economic sabotage and stressed that the closure ordered on Monday was a protective measure for law-abiding citizens.

Security personnel, including the police, army, and other agencies, have been deployed to enforce the closure and maintain order. Soludo warned that non-compliant traders after the one-week shutdown risk a longer closure of up to one month.

The measure is part of the state government’s ongoing effort to end Monday sit-at-home practices, which have continuously disrupted economic activities across the South-East.