BUSINESS
Waves of Anxiety in Onitsha as Soludo Marks Over 10,000 Shops for Demolition, Issues 14-Day Ultimatum to Traders Amid Sit-at-Home Enforcement Crackdown
Tension and uncertainty have enveloped Onitsha Main Market following a directive by Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, marking no fewer than 10,000 shops for demolition and issuing a 14-day ultimatum for affected traders to vacate the premises.
The development comes in the wake of the governor’s controversial decision to shut the sprawling commercial hub for one week, beginning Monday, January 26, over traders’ continued observance of the Monday sit-at-home, despite repeated government pronouncements abolishing the practice.
Governor Soludo reportedly gave the order during an unscheduled inspection of the market, where he observed that a significant number of shops remained closed in defiance of the state government’s directive lifting the sit-at-home linked to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Describing the persistent shutdown of businesses every Monday as unacceptable, the governor warned that his administration would no longer tolerate actions capable of undermining economic activities and public order in the state. He consequently directed that traders must open their shops for business from Monday to Saturday or relocate elsewhere.
Earlier reports had indicated that traders in Onitsha Main Market partially complied with the governor’s order, with many opening their shops on Mondays in a show of readiness to return fully to business.
However, traders were reportedly shocked when they arrived at their shops to discover that over 10,000 shops across the market had been marked with paint, indicating impending demolition and giving occupants only 14 days to move out.
One of the affected traders, Uzochukwu Joseph Okoye, a clothing dealer in the market, said, “I opened today. I opened last Monday, but the market is not filled like last Monday.”
Explaining the situation on ground, he said, “The situation is that we came this morning and saw a lot of paints in our shops that we should move in 14 days. But that 14 days is too short. We cannot do anything within 14 days.
“A lot of people are in the market, ready to trade despite the fact that we do not see customers. Even when we were coming, transportation was also an issue.
“I’m pleading with the governor to also work on transportation and banks so that everywhere will operate fully on Mondays. This morning, some banks were not open, and some transportation companies are not operating.”
Okoye further noted that difficulty in finding Keke Napep and commercial buses has made it almost impossible for many traders to access their shops, thereby compounding the challenge of resuming normal business activities.
On the rationale behind the proposed demolition, Okoye explained that the governor is complaining that the Onitsha Main Market has been messed up, hence the need for the demolition.
“But we, the traders know that before developers built these shops, I got approval from the state government, and the government gave them the standard approval of the shops to build.
“After building, the developers sold them to us, and we have been paying tax to the government. Now the governor marks all these shops as bad. He marked more than 10,000 shops, saying that those more than 10,000 shops should be removed.”
He lamented that the most painful aspect of the planned demolition is the absence of any alternative arrangement for the affected traders.
Appealing for patience and understanding, Okoye said, “If it is about Monday business, I’m sure that within two weeks, Main Market will be in full operation. Business will be booming and everything will be working normally.”
He added, “We are even tired of staying at home but the challenges are transportation, banks and other things, which the government has promised to provide adequate security for us.”
According to him, traders are requesting more time, proposing at least one year to enable them trade throughout 2026 before any major redevelopment begins.
“Then by January 2027, Soludo still has up to three years in office, he can start building whatever he wants to build,” he said.
Okoye emphasized that traders need sufficient time to search for alternative shop spaces, noting that Onitsha Main Market is already congested, with not even a quarter shop space readily available.
“The governor marked more than 10,000 shops for demolition, and if you calculate the over 10,000 shop by their families, you will have about 50,000 families who will be stranded.
“That is not normal. How can those stranded families feed? How can they pay school fees? Many people’s blood pressure is already high. I took three people to the hospital this morning because of this issue before coming to the shop.”
Reiterating his appeal, he stressed, “Two weeks is too short. We cannot do anything for two weeks. Let the governor give at least one year so we can plan our lives. We also mean well for Anambra State.”
As anxiety continues to spread across the market, traders are hoping for dialogue and reconsideration, while awaiting clearer explanations from the state government on the scope, purpose, and implementation of the proposed demolition exercise.