Ohanaeze backs Soludo on One-Week closure of Onitsha Main Market

The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has thrown its weight behind Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, over the one-week closure of the Onitsha Main Market.

The pan-Igbo group said it has become increasingly clear to the Igbo populace that the unconstitutional Monday sit-at-home directives, allegedly instigated by pro-Biafra agitators, have for over five years devastated the South-East, leading to the loss of countless lives and the near collapse of the region’s economy.

Ohanaeze disclosed that credible intelligence at its disposal points to a disturbing pattern of continued compliance with the sit-at-home order, despite repeated efforts by South-East governors to abolish the practice.

It attributed the persistence of the sit-at-home to what it described as a clandestine cabal within the leadership of markets across the region.

According to the organisation, the cabal is allegedly collaborating with violent enforcers of the Monday sit-at-home order, deliberately undermining the directives of elected governors with full knowledge that the continued closure of markets would cripple economic activities and social life in the South-East.

This position was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the factional Deputy President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, and the group’s National Spokesperson, Chief Chinyereze Ohia.

Ohanaeze described Governor Soludo’s decision to shut the Onitsha Main Market for one week as “assertive and commendable,” urging other South-East governors to adopt similar measures to finally end the sit-at-home practice in the region.

Reacting to the protests that followed the closure of the market on Tuesday, the group advised Governor Soludo to summon the leadership of the Onitsha Main Market and mandate them to enter into a binding agreement with the Anambra State Government to operate strictly in line with the laws of the land.

Ohanaeze said failure by the market leadership to comply should compel the governor to exercise his executive powers by dissolving the leadership and appointing a special committee to manage the market.

The group also called on the South-East Governors’ Forum to urgently summon the leadership of major markets across the region to investigate their possible complicity in the enforcement of the Monday sit-at-home order.

“If the market leaders are found innocent, they must be compelled to commit to full market operations from Monday to Saturday.

“However, if they are confirmed to have participated in promoting or enforcing the sit-at-home directives over the past five years, they should be immediately disbanded,” the statement said.

Ohanaeze further urged the Anambra State Government and security agencies to take proactive measures to protect the Onitsha Main Market amid the ongoing protests, warning that any escalation could endanger the historic commercial hub.

It described the market as a legacy institution that predates Nigeria’s formation, noting that it has attracted significant investments from the colonial era to the present day.

“The Onitsha Main Market is a symbol of pride for Ndigbo and Nigeria as a whole. Any threat to its physical integrity would result in catastrophic losses not only for the South-East but for the entire country,” the group warned.

Ohanaeze reiterated that all lawful efforts must be deployed by the Anambra State Government and relevant security agencies to preserve and protect the Onitsha Main Market.