Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State has issued a 14-day ultimatum to traders at the Onitsha Main Market to vacate their shops, as over 10,000 shops in the market have reportedly been marked for demolition.
The governor’s directive follows the state government’s earlier closure of the market for one week on Monday, January 26, due to traders’ continued observance of the Monday sit-at-home linked to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), despite repeated government orders abolishing the practice.
During an unscheduled visit to the market, Governor Soludo observed that a significant number of shops remained closed in defiance of the state government’s directive lifting the sit-at-home order. He described the persistent closure of businesses on Mondays as unacceptable and warned that the government would no longer tolerate actions undermining economic activities and public order.
The governor insisted that traders must open their shops from Monday to Saturday or relocate elsewhere. While some traders have partially complied with the government’s directive, they were met with notices indicating that their shops had been marked for demolition, with a 14-day deadline to move out.
A trader, Uzochukwu Joseph Okoye, who owns a clothing shop at the market, lamented the short notice. “We came this morning and saw a lot of paints in our shops indicating we should move in 14 days. But that 14 days is too short. We cannot do anything within this timeframe,” he said.
Okoye highlighted additional challenges facing traders, including limited transportation and the partial closure of banks on Mondays, which make it difficult for them to operate fully.
He also questioned the government’s rationale for demolishing the shops, noting that many were built with government approval and that traders have been paying taxes regularly. “The governor marked more than 10,000 shops for demolition. If you calculate the families depending on these shops, you will have about 50,000 families who could be stranded,” he said.
Okoye pleaded with the governor to grant traders more time, suggesting a one-year period to operate before any demolition begins. “Two weeks is too short. Let the governor give at least one year so we can plan our lives. We also mean well for Anambra State,” he added.
