Onitsha market closure: Drama as Soludo orders opening of attendance register for traders
Onitsha market closure: Drama as Soludo orders opening of attendance register for traders
By Ndukaku Ihe
The Onitsha market closure by the Anambra State government over the Monday Sit-at-Home took a new twist on Thursday as Governor Chukwuma Soludo has ordered the immediate opening of attendance register in all the markets in the commercial nerve centre.
This, he said was part of the measures to restore order in the markets and ensure that commercial activities take place in the state, especially in Onitsha and Nnewi on Mondays.
Soludo gave the order on Thursday during a meeting with market leaders drawn from the major markets across the state, saying that the government would no longer sit back and watch some people sabotage the economy of the state.
“We are going to begin to take attendants at the markets every Monday”, Soludo declared.
The governor directed market leaders in charge of various lines to take records of those who failed to open their shops on Mondays as such traders would have their shops shut down for the rest of the week.
He also directed the local government chairmen in Onitsha and others where major markets are located to visit them between 10am and 11am in the morning to collect the records to enable the government take appropriate actions.
“If you feel you won’t be able to lead as a line chairman, we will appoint your replacement. Any market that fails to open on Monday will be closed down.
“If you’re a sympathiser to the criminals enforcing sit-at-home, we will handle you according to the law. The best thing you’ll do is to resign”, he said.
The governor, while making it clear that the government would not back down on its efforts to restore order in the state, wondered why the major markets opened on Mondays during the yuletide but started closing again on Mondays after the festive periods.
During the interactive session, the traders said that they were willing to start opening their shops on Mondays if the government could send more security operatives to Onitsha and its environs.
“We love the state of security in Onitsha now and we plead that the governor should allow the security personnel to remain there till the next one month”, Mr. Chibuzo Nwosu, one of the traders appealed.
Responding to the traders’ complaints about insecurity, Soludo reminded them that over 150 security personnel currently operate in the markets in Onitsha and saw no reason why they wouldn’t be able to secure the market.
He, however, promised to send more security operatives to the markets, especially at the entry points to ensure tight security in the commercial city.
“What you just said, indirectly, is that the security you have is not working. Our security will work with you. We will rejig the security you have in the various markets. The security operatives in Onitsha now will remain. We’ll leave the security in place for you.
“But let me tell you, the greatest security is the will of the people. You traded on Mondays during the yuletide. How come everything now changed. After the Christmas period, you now remembered that you don’t open your shops on Mondays.
“For the church matter you raised, people started fixing church events on Mondays because you no longer put it to good use. Some clubs fix exercise periods on Mondays. But you cannot open your shops the same day.
“We will rejig the security you have. If the over 150 security personnel that you have are not competent, we will replace all of them. We will rejig the entire security structure and make it more effective.
“Since you’re saying that they are not effective, we will help you make it more effective. Between now and the weekend, we are going to work out a proper security architecture for you.
“If you invite us in, we will come in. We will first of all profile the security operatives you have and then add those that should be added.
“We will give you more security. It is not going to be business as usual. Anambra must be great. It is non-negotiable”, Soludo declared.
The governor also ordered motor parks to open on Mondays, warning that any park that fails to open would be closed for the rest of the week. He also warned that the government may takeover such parks if it considers it necessary.
“For those who own private parks, if you close your parks on Mondays, we will help you close it for the rest of the week”, he warned.
The governor told the traders to report anyone who threatens them for opening their shops, saying that such a person would be treated like a terrorist.
“We have an agenda, which is the security and prosperity of Anambra State and Igboland in general.
“If anybody threatens you, just let us know. We’ll come and take that person out. We have no room for terrorists here. We will not allow them. We will not harbour criminals here.”
At the end of the interactive session, the traders promised that they would start opening their shops for business on Mondays even as the government promised to send more security operatives to protect them.
