Traders from Ebonyi State operating in Anambra have distanced themselves from any planned protest over the recent closure of the Onitsha Main Market, declaring support for Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo’s directive for the resumption of full commercial activities on Mondays.
The Ebonyi Town Union in Anambra State made its position known in a statement issued in Onitsha on Friday by its President-General, Moses Igwe. He urged Ebonyi indigenes engaged in trading across the state to shun actions capable of disrupting public peace or jeopardising their lives and livelihoods.
Igwe said the governor’s Monday business policy was aimed at safeguarding traders’ interests and revitalising the state’s economy, noting that repeated market closures had continued to inflict heavy financial losses on traders.
“Closing markets every Monday is not helping anyone; it is, in fact, more damaging to the traders themselves,” he said. “Sit-at-home actions will not secure the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.”
He warned that non-indigenes, particularly Ebonyi traders, often suffer the worst consequences when protests turn violent, advising his kinsmen to completely dissociate themselves from any form of demonstration against government policies.
According to him, Ebonyi people are peace-loving and law-abiding residents who have enjoyed a cordial relationship with the Soludo administration. “Governor Soludo is a brother and a friend to Ebonyians. His government has shown us goodwill,” he added.
Igwe cited appointments given to Ebonyi indigenes in the Anambra State Government and the construction of a general hospital in Okpoko, which hosts a large Ebonyi population, as evidence of the administration’s inclusive governance.
“Ebonyi indigenes in Okpoko are major beneficiaries of the general hospital built by this administration. No Ebonyi man or woman should go against the directives of a government that has supported us,” he said.
He therefore called on traders across Anambra State to fully resume business on Mondays, stressing that economic stability and peaceful coexistence, rather than protests, remain the surest path to collective progress.
Meanwhile, traders at the Onitsha Main Market and other markets across the state have also pledged to end the Monday sit-at-home and resume full operations in line with the governor’s directive.
The assurance was given during an interactive session with Governor Soludo, following the closure of the Onitsha Main Market and the prolonged Monday sit-at-home that has adversely affected commercial and economic activities across the South-East.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, the Chairman of the Onitsha Main Market, Chijioke Okpalugo, said traders were ready to commence Monday operations in support of the governor’s “One Anambra” vision, but appealed for improved security to ensure the safety of lives and property.
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