‘Anambra not a four-day week state’ — Soludo defends Onitsha market closure, says schools next

Chukwuma Soludo, governor of Anambra, has defended his decision to close the Onitsha main market for one week after traders continued to comply with the IPOB-enforced Monday sit-at-home order.

The Monday sit-at-home was initiated in 2021 by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the south-east to protest the arrest and detention of its leader Nnamdi Kanu.

The directive that residents stay off work and keep businesses closed every Monday originally coincided with Kanu’s scheduled court appearances.

Soludo has criticised the order as having no legal backing and crippling businesses and livelihoods in Anambra.

On Monday, the governor ordered the closure of the popular Onitsha main market, accusing traders of deliberately ignoring the directive not to comply with the Monday sit-at-home.

Some state officials criticised the move, saying it could reignite violence in the region.

In a news conference on Thursday, Soludo doubled down on his decision.

He expressed frustration at the traders’ decision to stay off business premises on Monday despite prior warnings from the government to end adherence to the sit-at-home order.

“This is a struggle for the soul of Anambra’s future. Almost 80 percent of the people have given us mandate to protect and promote their welfare and security, and that we must remain committed to doing 24 by seven — every day,” he said.

“Because Monday is almost the most important day of the week. That’s when suppliers, the people demanding for goods, that’s when they must go and open up.

“So if you are not opening, people are relocating elsewhere. That’s what we mean by the cost to the state. The place will keep getting down and down economically.

“And like I said before, we’re not going to train our children in the 21st century by going to school four days a week. Absolute nonsense!! This obviously has stopped.

“We’re going to open the schools and we’re going to take the same measures. You are running a private school, if you are not open, I come and slam it and lock it up. Because we’ve given you the permission to operate there as a school and in Anambra, the school days are Monday through Friday.”

Soludo described the sit-at-home order as a “calculated economic sabotage” to bring down Anambra, a state he said is one of Nigeria’s top five economies.

“A time comes where you must either stand up for truth or be drowned,” he said.

He added that efforts would be made to restore Anambra “whatever it costs”. (The Cable)