Traders in the Onitsha main market partially complied with the Anambra State government’s order to end the Monday civic disobedience.
According to various local reports, Onitsha’s main market witnessed a flurry of activity today, the 2nd of February, following last week’s shutdown by the Anambra state government over continued compliance with the civil disobedience.
Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, visited the market to gain firsthand experience of development while addressing traders who showed up for the usual market activity.
Addressing the crowd, Soludo thanked the traders for coming out on Monday and expressed his delight at being able to shop at the main market for the first time in five years. Soludo announced that he will visit various market lines to have an amazing shopping experience with traders.
Today marks the end of the seven-day market shutdown by the governor due to continued participation in the Monday sit-at-home. The directive resulted in partial compliance from the traders today, a result that the Anambra government will gladly take, giving historical precedence.
Sit at Home Costing Anambra State Billions in Revenue
Analysts and public commentators have repeatedly weighed in on the Monday sit-at-home issue in Onitsha, debating its pros and cons while agreeing that the exercise is costing all sides and seems to be a fruitless endeavour.
Speaking during a national broadcast, Barrister Darlington, a social commentator, alleged that the Monday sit-at-home costs the Anambra government N8 billion every Monday, and that none of the traders, including IPOB members, in the market made any sale.
He added that the solidarity movement for the IPOB leader is not doing anything for him as he has remained in detention even after years of the solidarity movement on his behalf.
Barrister Darlington argued that the practice should end, as it has become a net negative for all parties involved: the traders, IPOB members, and the Anambra government.
Market activities are expected to resume fully tomorrow, as the Anambra governor did not mention any continued shutdown this week.
Soludo’s carrot-and-stick approach partially pays off
Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s approach to ending the Monday “sit-at-home” in Onitsha shifted from persuasion to aggressive economic statecraft, mirroring a carrot-and-stick approach.
Facing the possibility of a regional loss of ₦19.6 billion every Monday—with Onitsha alone bleeding ₦8 billion—Soludo moved to reclaim the state’s economic engine, pursuing hardline tactics and wielding the stick
Soludo imposed a one-week shutdown on the Onitsha Main Market as a corrective measure for traders’ continued compliance with the order. He warned that defiance would lead to month-long seals and eventual revocation of shop allocations.
The economics professor turned politician threatened to bulldoze the market and convert it into an educational complex if the traders didn’t drop their agitation and resume trading on Monday as usual. This was followed by a bold plan to remodel the market into a more modern version, better suited to current needs.
The stick approach by Soludo followed many weeks of persuasion and public diplomacy, urging traders to resume trading activities on Mondays. The carrot-and-stick approach appeared to have worked, as evidenced by the visible increase in trading activity today.
The seven-day shutdown by Soludo sparked a standoff between the Anambra government and IPOB, creating a tense showdown over who truly controls the Southeast’s commercial capital.
