The Anambra State House of Assembly says the state loses about N19.6 billion every Monday due to the sit-at-home order enforced by non-state actors.
Lawmakers disclosed this on Tuesday during plenary in Awka, where they backed Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s move to end the weekly sit-at-home, particularly among traders at the Onitsha Main Market. Soludo had on January 26 ordered the closure of the market after traders failed to resume business on Mondays.
The Assembly also supported the decision to shut the market for one week and urged residents to immediately discontinue the sit-at-home practice.
Moving the motion, Minority Leader, Johnbosco Akaegbobi (Nnewi South I), said the directive, introduced in 2021 by the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) over the detention of Nnamdi Kanu, has severely disrupted economic and social activities.
He said Anambra accounts for N19.6 billion of the estimated N88.08 billion lost across the South-East every Monday. According to him, the SME sector bears about 60 per cent of the losses, with micro-businesses losing an estimated N4.6 trillion annually, while transporters lose between N10 billion and N13 billion daily.
Akaegbobi added that the weekly shutdown has reduced effective workdays by 20 per cent and cut business productivity by 35 per cent.
The motion was seconded by Deputy Speaker, Chuma Okoye, who said the decision was for the common good and should not be viewed as high-handed. He lamented that many residents now treat Mondays as an extension of the weekend.
Another lawmaker, Golden Ilo (Ihiala II), urged traders to support the government’s action, describing it as beneficial to businesses.
After deliberations, the Assembly resolved that the sit-at-home directive should stop with immediate effect.
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