Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has ordered the immediate remodelling of the Onitsha Main Market in a move described as a “hard, but necessary” step for the future.
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This came following its one-week closure.
The decision follows the governor’s last visit to the market, where he lamented that the once-famed “biggest market in West Africa” has collapsed into a shadow of its old self, adding that the market is “literally dead”.
Addressing stakeholders and traders at the Light House, Awka, on Friday, the governor delivered an assessment of the market’s decline, citing the devastating impact of the Monday sit-at-home order and decades of poor urban planning.
Soludo said, “The Onitsha Main Market, in its current state, is no longer functional. We have done the study. The main market is no longer what it was designed to be. It has literally died.
“I recall a time in the late 70s when the market was a model of efficiency, with wide streets allowing trucks and shoppers to move freely. Today, that layout has been replaced by chaos.
”If people cannot park, they cannot shop. In the late 70s, trucks used to drive into the market; massive parking spaces were provided for them. Today, that is gone.”
According to the governor, a major catalyst for the shutdown is the persistent adherence to the Monday sit-at-home order.
He noted that the market has been effectively shut down for over 260 days since the ritual of sit-at-home began, with billions of naira lost weekly and driving customers to alternative markets in neighbouring states.
“Leadership requires taking inconvenient steps to secure the future. The closure of the market is a corrective measure to reclaim the state’s economic life.
”The state commissioned world-renowned experts in 2023 to draft a rebuilding plan for the market’s resurrection; a vision for the 25-hectare site. This is in recognition that the future of global commerce lies in efficient logistics rather than just tiny stalls.
“Therefore, the remodelling efforts align with my manifesto to create planned and sustainable markets and communities and cities. At this point, leadership beckons on us to take those inconvenient steps to secure the future,” Soludo added.
Following Soludo’s executive directive on the redevelopment of the Onitsha Main Market, the Chairman of the market, Chijioke Okpalaugo, confirmed the traders’ alignment with the government’s vision for a modernised market while requesting a brief window to secure their inventory.
Okpalaugo said, ”After careful consideration of the proposals presented by the state government for the revitalisation of our market, we, the leadership and traders of Onitsha Main Market, officially announce that we have chosen ‘Option 2’ as the preferred path forward.
”We recognise that leadership requires difficult choices, and we accept this path for the ultimate good of ndị Anambra and the survival of our iconic market. We are committed to the vision of a planned, sustainable, and accessible market that can once again compete on a global stage.”
“However, we humbly appeal to Governor Soludo to grant us a short grace period. This will allow our members to safely evacuate their goods and wares from the areas designated as illegal structures before the commencement of enforcement and demolition.”
On Monday reported that Soludo ordered the closure of the Onitsha Main Market for one week following traders’ failure to comply with the state government’s directive to disregard the Monday sit-at-home order.
The governor gave the directive on Monday during an on-site visit to the market, along with some of his aides and other government officials.
Soludo warned that the closure could be extended if traders fail to comply with the directive, adding that security agencies have sealed the market to enforce the order.
The governor described the development as the latest—and perhaps most drastic—salvo in a protracted struggle over control of economic life in the South-East on Monday.
Soludo said that despite repeated assurances of enhanced security and appeals to reclaim public spaces, many traders at the iconic market once again chose to keep their stalls locked.
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