Sit-At-Home: Onitsha market traders reopen shops following Soludo’s order

Traders at the Onitsha Main Market have resumed business operations, complying with a directive from Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State.

The governor had last week ordered a one-week closure of the market after traders largely adhered to the Monday sit-at-home directive imposed by non-state actors. Soludo had warned that failure to reopen at the end of the one-week shutdown could result in further market closures.

On Monday, a visit to the market by Channels Television showed traders returning as early as 8:45 a.m., setting up their wares from Egerton through Ose Foodstuff Market to The Young Park. Shops along major entrances such as Emeka Offor Plaza, Sokoto Road, Lagos Line, and Marine were also open, with customers beginning to patronize businesses.

The Monday sit-at-home order, which has persisted for about four years, has disrupted economic and social activities across the South-East. The Soludo administration has condemned the practice, describing it as an economic sabotage against the region, and has repeatedly urged residents to ignore it and continue lawful activities.

Security personnel, including police and army units, were deployed to ensure compliance with the reopening directive.

For years, the practice has left markets, schools, and workplaces deserted, significantly affecting traders, transport workers, and students. Governor Soludo has been at the forefront of efforts to end the shutdown, formally declaring the sit-at-home over in April 2022, granting amnesty to youths in hideouts, and establishing a peace and reconciliation committee.