Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo vowed Wednesday there would be “no going back” on eradicating the persistent Monday sit-at-home observance in Nigeria’s southeast, branding it “calculated economic sabotage” as he defended the recent closure of Onitsha’s main market and warned of shop revocations for defiant traders.
During a press briefing at the state capital’s Light House, Soludo reiterated that the practice, which he said ended in 2022 but lingers due to sponsored criminal intent, undermines regional progress and investor confidence.
“The purpose of this press conference is to clarify the issues at hand and why this must be deepened. This is a struggle for the soul of Anambra’s future,” Soludo said, describing a Monday visit to Onitsha where streets bustled but the government-owned market remained shuttered.
“Anambra is on the rise, we have secured Anambra. It’s a sabotage and criminal intent to keep Anambra behind with the senseless sit-at-home and we will do everything possible to ensure no one keeps us behind while the world is moving forward,” he added.
Soludo recalled engaging stakeholders upon taking office in 2022, including a meeting with detained Indigenous People of Biafra leader Nnamdi Kanu, who reportedly disavowed the sit-at-home as a ploy to desolate the South-East.
“We cannot realise the potential of Anambra if we don’t tackle this now… I visited Nnamdi Kanu when I assumed office and he told me he is not happy with the sit-at-home thing because it’s a way of holding the people down. He said they want to turn the South-East into a desolate homeland and he told me that was wrong,” the governor stated.
He dismissed insecurity excuses, noting 150 security personnel guard the market, and highlighted the economic toll: “If you avoid doing business on Mondays, it means we have wasted 20 per cent of the economic operations.”
Soludo emphasized his authority to act: “I have the right to revoke their licenses for operations… If you don’t start opening the place on Monday and observe the full operational days, we will revoke your ownership and give the place to Agunaechemba.”
“We have been patient since 2024 and 2025, but in 2026, we will help you close your shop if you refuse to open on Monday. I have the power to revoke the ownership of shops,” he warned.
“As for keeping those shops open, there is no negotiation, you either open or you leave the place. By Monday, if it remains closed again, we will shut it down and every trader will have to come. We are not joking about this,” Soludo concluded.
The standoff has sparked protests, with residents blocking the Onitsha Head Bridge earlier this week, and follows the market’s one-week shutdown amid claims it costs Anambra billions in lost revenue weekly.
IPOB, which initially backed the sit-at-home for Kanu’s release but later renounced it, has criticized Soludo’s measures as overreach, fueling ongoing debates over security and autonomy in the region.
