Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has described his fight to end the Monday sit-at-home as a major struggle for the soul of Anambra State, in particular, and the Southeastern region of Nigeria, in general.
Soludo’s one-week closure of the Onitsha Main Market, once adjudged the largest market in West Africa, over continued non-compliance with the Monday sit-at-home order, has drawn criticism from various quarters.
While some tagged the governor insensitive, others accused the governor of failing to provide security for the traders, who avoid Mondays for fear of being attacked.
But in a media chat at the Light House, Awka, Governor Soludo noted that the Monday sit-at-home ended over two years ago and that what is happening now is criminal sabotage of the economy of Anambra State and the Southeast.
According to him, the effort by his government to end the sit-at-home in the state is in fulfillment of the mandate given to him by over 80 percent of the Anambra people to continue to take the right decisions for their well-being and that of the state.
The governor wondered how the sentiment about insecurity could be used as the reason for the Monday sit-at-home, when parts of the state are always bustling with activities on the said Mondays.
“Anambra is secure, we had the best Christmas. All the markets, including the Onitsha Main Market were open on Monday all through Christmas, but after Christmas they started observing it again.
It means that something else is happening. It’s no longer a sit-at-home situation, as it ended about two years ago.
“During the sit-at-home days, nobody comes out due to fear, because if you come out, you get attacked or killed.
“But, now, on Mondays, the streets are bubbling, the various stadiums in the Onitsha city are full with people exercising, cars are on the road, there are neighbourhood and church meetings, and everywhere is alive, but they cannot open the markets.
“There is now some deliberateness about what is going on. Some sabotage, criminal intent to keep Anambra and the Southeast behind, and we are determined to fight this with everything legal to make sure that we bring it to an end,” the governor vowed.
Soludo recalled how he engaged with the various stakeholders allegedly involved in the sit-at-home, noting that about two years ago, they all dissociated themselves from the exercise.
According to him, even the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu had expressed his resentment over the continued sit-at-home, which had crippled the Southeast economy.
“We cannot realize the potential of Anambra without defeating this particular evil.
“Before I became Governor, the sit-at-home had been ordered as a way of protesting against the detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. But when I arrived, I began engaging the stakeholders.
I even visited Nnamdi Kanu in detention, and he told me that he is not in support of the sit-at-home, because it is like shooting yourself in the leg. There were also releases by the IPOB and other groups denouncing the sit-at-home.
“But the sit-at-home was reinforced by one Simon Ekpa, killing and maiming our brothers and sisters and destroying their property. They tried to turn the Southeast into a desolate land in the name of protecting them.
“In Anambra, we engaged, offered an amnesty programme, established the 17-man committee, Truth Justice and Peace Commission, chaired by Chidi Odinkalu. They have submitted their report, and we have started implementing parts of their recommendation.
We also engaged our people in the diaspora and impressed on them the need to rescue the Southeast from the hands of these criminals, enforcing the sit-at-home.
“This sit-at-home causes severe economic costs to the state. Many are saying the government wants it to end for revenue reasons, and I marvel at their ignorance.
“This is about the bigger picture, the various businesses that the average Anambra trader, artisan, farmer, and petty traders are losing every Monday that these markets are on lockdown.
Anambra is one of Nigeria’s largest economies, and these closures cause the state to miss out on significant daily business opportunities,” Soludo noted.
The governor reaffirmed the ongoing one-week closure of the Onitsha Main Market, stating it will remain closed until the mandated period has elapsed.
He expressed concerns about how, with security largely restored across the state and the over one hundred and fifty security officials within the Onitsha main market, the continued Monday sit-at-home can be unjustified.
Issuing a stern warning, Governor Soludo said the government has been patient but is now prepared to enforce the law. He disclosed that a new master plan for the Main Market has existed since 2023 and reminded traders that the government could revoke land allocations under the Land Use Act in the public interest.
The governor concluded by urging all residents of Anambra, including politicians, to prioritize the state’s future and collective prosperity by supporting efforts to end the sit-at-home.
