Onitsha Traders Pledge End to Monday Sit-At-Home as Soludo Moves to Restore Full Commercial Activity

Traders at the Onitsha Main Market have pledged to discontinue participation in the Monday sit-at-home, signalling what may be a major turning point in Anambra State’s long struggle with economic disruption linked to separatist agitation and insecurity.

The assurance was given on Thursday during an interactive meeting between Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo and leaders of major markets across Anambra State. The engagement followed the recent closure of the Onitsha Main Market by the state government and months of partial economic paralysis caused by the continued observance of sit-at-home in parts of the South-East.

Speaking on behalf of the traders, the Chairman of Onitsha Main Market, Mr. Chijioke Okpalugo, said market participants were ready to resume full business activities on Mondays in compliance with the government’s directive. He described the decision as a commitment to the governor’s vision of a unified and economically vibrant “One Anambra.”

However, the traders made it clear that their compliance was conditional on improved security. Okpalugo appealed to the state government to guarantee the safety of traders, customers, and goods, noting that fear of harassment and violence had been the primary factor sustaining the Monday shutdown.

Governor Soludo, in his response, declared unequivocally that all markets and businesses in Anambra State must remain open on every official working day, including Mondays. According to him, the era in which non-state actors dictated when citizens could trade was over.

Addressing the Onitsha Main Market directly, the governor unveiled a “renovate or rebuild” proposal, offering traders two options: a complete redevelopment of the market into a modern commercial hub or a comprehensive renovation of existing facilities. He stressed that regardless of which option traders preferred, commercial activities must continue without interruption.

Soludo further dismissed the claim that the sit-at-home was connected to the continued detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. He insisted that Kanu had publicly disowned the sit-at-home order and that the enforcement of the practice had since morphed into a criminal enterprise driven by economic sabotage.

“It is not linked to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. He does not support sit-at-home,” Soludo said. “If it does not happen in Umuahia, his hometown, why should it happen in Onitsha and Nnewi?”

The governor also alleged that many of those enforcing the sit-at-home were not indigenes of Anambra State and warned that the government would not hesitate to deploy “extreme measures” should defiance continue.

In response, market leaders presented a list of demands aimed at sustaining normal business operations. These included a visible and permanent security presence within markets, full reopening of motor parks to allow free movement of traders and customers, and decisive action against individuals or groups who profit from enforcing the sit-at-home.

Soludo assured them that the state government was already overhauling its security architecture, particularly around commercial centres. He reiterated that Anambra would not surrender its economic lifeline to fear, intimidation, or criminal opportunism.

“Igboland and Anambra will move forward,” the governor declared.

The announcement has sparked intense debate among residents and observers. Supporters of the governor argue that the traders’ pledge represents a long-overdue assertion of state authority and economic common sense. They insist that prolonged market closures only deepen poverty, destroy livelihoods, and weaken the South-East’s commercial relevance.

Many commenters applauded Soludo’s “strong-hand” approach, arguing that economic pressure, rather than endless negotiations, finally compelled compliance. Some described the move as proof that fear, not ideology, had sustained the sit-at-home, and that once livelihoods were threatened, resistance quickly collapsed.

Others, however, remain sceptical. They question whether traders can genuinely reopen without sustained and credible security guarantees, warning that declarations alone will not erase years of intimidation. A few also accused the government of politicising the crisis and attempting to score symbolic victories without fully addressing lingering security risks.

There were also reports of continued protests by some groups within the market, though government supporters dismissed them as actions by apprentices, street traders, or non-shop owners rather than actual stakeholders.

Beyond Anambra, the development is being closely watched across the South-East, where sit-at-home observance has exacted heavy economic costs. Analysts say a successful reopening of Onitsha Main Market — one of West Africa’s largest trading centres — could encourage other states to adopt firmer but more coordinated approaches to restoring normal economic life.

For now, attention is fixed on the coming Monday. Whether the pledge translates into fully reopened shops, restored confidence, and uninterrupted commerce will determine whether this moment marks the real end of sit-at-home in Anambra — or merely another uneasy pause in a long-running crisis.