Sit-at-Home Tension: Govt seals shops, market leaders back Soludo

The Anambra State Government has again closed some shops in markets around Onitsha for not opening on Monday.

Most of the affected shops are in the Building Materials Market in Ogidi. Traders there did not open their shops for business on Monday.

However, the government praised many traders who opened their shops, especially those at the Electrical Parts Dealers Market in Obosi.

The Governor’s Special Adviser on Markets, Evarist Uba, visited several markets to check if traders were following the government’s order to open for business on Mondays.

At the Electrical Parts Dealers Market in Obosi, many shops were open. Uba said about 80 percent of the traders opened their shops. He described this as a big improvement compared to previous Mondays when markets were usually closed due to the sit-at-home order.

He said the Obosi Electrical Parts Market is very important for electrical goods in the Southeast. He praised the traders for showing courage and supporting the government’s efforts to restore peace and grow the state’s economy.

At the Building Materials Market in Ogidi, shops that remained closed were sealed by the government. Uba warned that the sealed shops would remain closed for two weeks. He also thanked traders who obeyed the directive and opened their shops.

Market leaders also supported the government’s action. The Chairman of the Electrical Parts Dealers Association in Obosi, Chike Onunkwo, and the President of the International Building Materials Market in Ogidi, Chief Jude Nwankwo, said security in the state has improved. They said traders must support the government’s efforts to rebuild the economy.

Other government officials who joined the inspection included the Commissioner for Information, Dr. Law Mefor; the Special Adviser on Security, AVM Ben Chiobi (rtd); and the Governor’s Press Secretary, Christian Aburime.

The team also visited major markets in Nnewi and Onitsha to check if traders were following the Monday market-opening directive.