The Digest:
Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has ordered the immediate one-week closure of the Onitsha Main Market. The drastic measure followed traders' refusal to open for business on Monday, defying the state government's directive to ignore the enforced sit-at-home order. Governor Soludo, who visited the market with officials, described the traders' absence as "economic sabotage" and a quiet rebellion driven by fear. He warned that the closure could be extended to one month if compliance is not achieved upon reopening, as security forces have been deployed to enforce the shutdown.
Key Points:
- The closure represents an escalation in the government's forceful strategy to dismantle the long-standing Monday sit-at-home practice in the Southeast.
- It frames economic activity as a civic duty and non-compliance as a direct challenge to state authority and public safety.
- The action risks deepening the disconnect between the government and the trader population, who may be acting out of genuine security concerns.
- It signals a shift from appeals and assurances to punitive enforcement in the battle over economic normalcy in the region.
- The parallel policy to deduct civil servants' salaries for Monday absences shows a coordinated fiscal pressure campaign across public and private sectors.
Sources: Punch, Vanguard
