Anambra State Government has instructed traders in the Onitsha Main Market to resume full commercial activities on Monday, February 2, after a one-week shutdown imposed by Governor Chukwuma Soludo to end the longstanding Monday sit-at-home order linked to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Gatekeepers News reports that Soludo had temporarily closed Africa’s largest market after many traders continued to lock shops on Mondays in obedience to the sit-at-home directive, despite repeated government appeals and security assurances. The closure followed an on-the-spot visit by the governor alongside senior officials and security forces.
In a statement released on Sunday by Law Mefor, the Commissioner for Information, the government said the one-week closure has ended and directed that all traders return to work on Monday as “there is no longer any form of sit-at-home on Mondays in Anambra State.” The statement urged residents to disregard threats from non-state actors and assured them of adequate security support throughout the reopening.
Mefor also reminded civil servants and teachers that the state’s pro-rata salary policy remains in force, meaning employees who do not work on Monday will not be paid. Parents were advised to ensure their children attend school on Mondays to avoid sanctions.
The decision to reopen comes amid contrasting messaging from IPOB. The group’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, had declared a new sit-at-home directive across the South-East on Monday, intended as a show of solidarity with traders affected by the previous shutdown and in protest against Soludo’s measures. “This strike is not enforcement; it is a voluntary, collective expression of outrage and solidarity with the hardworking traders of Onitsha,” Powerful said in a statement.
Local traders and market leaders have also expressed readiness to fully open businesses on Mondays following negotiations with the government, pledging to stop observing the sit-at-home in line with Soludo’s directive.
There is some anxiety within the state as Monday approaches, with conflicting demands from the government and IPOB testing trader participation and public safety in the commercial hub.
The government reaffirmed its position that the sit-at-home has no place in Anambra and insisted on restoring normal economic activity in the region.
