By Ebele Iyke Odili/Amaka Isikala
The Anambra State Government has restated its directive that all markets across the state must open for normal business activities on Mondays, warning that severe sanctions await any market that defies the order.
The directive follows the relaxation of the sit-at-home practice which had disrupted economic activities in the state for close to five years.
The government has maintained that there is no longer any justification for keeping markets closed, particularly as security has been significantly strengthened across the state.
Anambra State is widely recognised as the commercial hub of the South-East, with its markets playing strategic and economically vital roles in the region’s trade and commerce.
The state government has therefore emphasised that full business activities are critical to its economic recovery and growth agenda.
Speaking on Wednesday during a crucial meeting with market leaders from the Idemili Zone at the office of the Anambra State Markets Amalgamated Traders Association (ASMATA) in Onitsha, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Trade and Markets, Chief Evarist Uba (Obannabuenyi), expressed concern that some markets in the zone remained closed last Monday despite repeated warnings by the Prof. Chukwuma Soludo-led administration.
Chief Uba warned that any market found closed on Monday would be sealed for two weeks, stressing that the state government would not hesitate to enforce its directive.
He noted that if such action could be taken against the Main Market, no other market would be exempt from similar sanctions.
According to him, beyond the temporary closure of markets, the executive of any market or specific line that fails to comply would be dissolved, describing such disobedience as a clear sign of incompetence and a disservice to traders and the state’s economic interests.
In his response, the Anambra Markets Amalgamated Traders Association (ASMATA) patron, Chief Jude Nwankwo, commended the Soludo administration for its interventions in the markets and the state at large.
He assured the government, on behalf of all markets in the Idemili Zone, that normal business activities would fully resume on Mondays, beginning immediately.
Also speaking, the President-General of ASMATA, Chief Humphrey Anuna, urged traders in the Idemili markets to wake up from what he described as “slumber” and comply fully with the directives of the state government.
He cautioned that continued defiance could attract harsh consequences, calling on traders to be sincere with themselves and align with the Soludo administration’s efforts to restore economic stability, improve ease of doing business, and reposition Anambra as a safe and thriving commercial destination.
Ebele and Amaka are of the Ministry of Information, Anambra State
