The shutdown of Onitsha Main Market by Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has triggered outrage, protests and sharp debates. Traders blocked the Onitsha Head Bridge. Voices were raised. Accusations flew. But beyond the noise lies a deeper question Nigerians must confront honestly: how long can fear be allowed to dictate the economic destiny of the South-East?
For over five years, the Monday sit-at-home phenomenon—originally framed as a protest—has quietly evolved into an economic stranglehold. Markets shut. Roads empty. Schools close. Lives are lost. And trillions of naira have evaporated from an already fragile regional economy. What began as political agitation has metastasized into a system of coercion enforced by fear, silence and, increasingly, complicity.
Governor Soludo’s decision to shut the market for one week was not an attack on traders, as some have framed it. It was a blunt attempt to confront an uncomfortable reality: you cannot build prosperity on selective lawlessness. An economy cannot function when 20 percent of its working days are sacrificed annually to intimidation. No society can thrive when violence dictates when citizens are allowed to work.
The governor’s warning—that continued defiance would attract stricter sanctions—has been interpreted by critics as heavy-handed. Yet leadership is not always about appeasement. Sometimes, it is about drawing a clear line between empathy and enforcement. Soludo’s argument is simple: if markets close voluntarily on Mondays in defiance of the law, the state will enforce closure on its own terms to restore order.
What makes this moment significant is the intervention of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation has thrown its weight behind the Anambra government, describing the sit-at-home regime as unconstitutional, destructive and sustained by shadowy interests within market leadership. That accusation—that some market leaders may be colluding with enforcers of the sit-at-home—should disturb every trader, artisan and business owner in the region.
If true, it means the South-East’s economic wounds are not only inflicted from outside, but also from within.
Ohanaeze’s call for market leaders to sign binding agreements with the government—or face disbandment—may sound drastic. But extraordinary crises demand decisive measures. Markets are not sovereign entities. They exist within the framework of the law. When leadership structures undermine public order and economic survival, reform becomes inevitable.
The protests in Onitsha reflect genuine hardship. Traders are not villains. Many are victims—caught between fear of violent reprisals and pressure from government enforcement. But sympathy alone cannot fix a broken system. Dialogue must be anchored on accountability, not denial.
The bigger danger now is escalation. Ohanaeze’s warning about protecting the physical integrity of Onitsha Main Market is not alarmist. History has shown how quickly protests can spiral into destruction. Onitsha Main Market is not just a commercial hub; it is a historical and cultural symbol that predates Nigeria itself. Any damage to it would be an irreversible tragedy for the South-East and the nation.
This is why the moment calls for courage—from traders, traditional institutions, market unions and political leaders alike. Sit-at-home thrives because too many people whisper in private and comply in public. Ending it requires collective resolve, not isolated bravery.
Governor Soludo has made his move. Ohanaeze has taken a stand. The question now is whether the South-East is ready to reclaim its Mondays—and with them, its economic future.
Silence has cost the region too much already.
