Onitsha: Analyst Tells Soludo How to End Sit-at-Home Without Market Closure
- Public analyst urges Governor Soludo to prioritize insecurity over market closures in Anambra state
- Traders avoid Onitsha main market due to ongoing violence and lack of government trust
- Okwuosa criticizes Governor's security measures, calling for accountability and citizen protection
Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
Onitsha, Anambra State - Public affairs analyst, Donald Okwuosa, said Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludu should focus on tackling Insecurity in Anambra state rather than closing Onisha main market.
Legit.ng recalls that Governor Soludo ordered a one-week closure of Onitsha main market after traders defied the Monday sit-at-home directive.
Source: Facebook
Security agencies sealed the market as Soludo warned that the shutdown could be extended to one month if non-compliance persisted
Okwuosa said Governor Soludo doesn’t have to force people to come out and meet their doom.
Solution to closure of Onitsha main market
He said the traders decided to stay back at home during the Mondays sit-at-home because of insecurity.
He stated this during an exlcusive chat with Legit.ng on Friday, January 30, 2026.
“When insecurity is completely expunged, traders by themselves would willingly go back to business. It is not enough to merely or rhetorically vibe that insecurity has ended, when the people still feel unsafe; several killings still ongoing.”
Okwuosa recalled that Fish Magnate was shot dead in Awka a few months ago at his business place and unknown gunmwn also shot passerby and killed five innocent persons in Nawfia.
“Till date, have his killers been apprehended? A dead person can't speak.”
The public administrator said the trith is that the citizens have lost faith and trust in the government.
He lamented that the government have failed in securing the people of Anmabra state.
“Political leaders need to start building trust with their citizens. Onitsha traders do not trust the government enough to believe it can offer them protection.
“Check out the Governor's security convoy, well armed to the teeth as they arrived the Onitsha Main Market. Why didn't he go there without heavy security?
“Why ask the traders to risk their own lives, when you haven't provided them with such heavily arm security? He should lead by example.”
Source: Twitter
Onitsha market shutdown: Lawyer, traders question Soludo
Recall that traders in the Onitsha Main Market called on Governor Soludo to reconsider his order closing the popular market.
A legal expert in a chat with Legit.ng addressed questions on whether the governor has the authority to shut down private businesses for non-compliance.
Some traders also expressed frustration over collective punishment, arguing that the closure affects willing shop owners unfairly.
Sit-at-home: Enforcement of Soludo's order
Legit.ng earlier reported that Governor Soludo ordered that the Monday sit-at-home must end by October 15, 2024.
While many traders in Anambra express willingness to comply with the governor's order, they emphasize the need for adequate security.
Key unions like the Anambra State Amalgamated Traders Association (ASMATA) and Urban Drivers Welfare Association (UDWAAS) have pledged support for Soludo's directive.
Source: Legit.ng
