ANAMBRA State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has described as “delusional” the claim by some traders in the Onitsha Main Market that they do not open their shops on Mondays due to insecurity.
News Point Nigeria reports that in a state broadcast on Wednesday, Governor Soludo maintained that the sit-at-home order ended in Anambra State in 2023, calling the continued failure of most traders to open their shops on Mondays an act of economic sabotage.
“It could be said that since 2023, anybody saying he didn’t open the shop because of insecurity is just delusional,” Governor Soludo said.
“Go round some other places that are more insecure, and the markets are open. Onitsha, of all places, Main Market with over 150 security personnel and you are saying the reason you are not open is because of insecurity? Absolute nonsense.”
Earlier on Wednesday, on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief programme, one of the traders, Gibson Okafor, stated that while the governor has provided security around the market, there is still no security presence on the routes to the market on Mondays.
He stressed that the combination of security concerns, failure of banks to open, and non-operation of transporters contributes significantly to traders’ inability to open shops on Mondays.
“The governor promised security, but only what he will do, because some people are coming from Nkpor, Asaba, and other areas. They need transporters to operate and security along the routes so traders can come to the market.
“If they don’t see security men and transporters, they can’t come to the market. Everything has to be in order so that traders would have the means to reach the market. The governor promised us that is what I heard from them but we haven’t seen it,” Okafor said.
However, in his speech, Soludo argued that if the same traders could go to the stadium on Mondays to play, exercise on the roads, or engage in street trading, they could just as well open their shops.
“But you are in the stadium playing, insecurity allows you to go to the stadium to play, allows you to be working out on the roads, allows street trading all over the place, the roads are blocked with street trading but insecurity doesn’t allow you to open your shops at the Main Market,” the governor said.
