Special Adviser to the Anambra State Governor on Markets, Everest Uba, says markets across the state have largely resumed full operations following the suspension of the Monday sit-at-home order.
In an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday, Uba said major markets reopened on 2 February after nearly five years of disruption, describing the development as a major economic turnaround for Anambra State.
“The markets in Anambra State opened on second February, after being closed for about five years. It was on second February that Mr Governor opened them after he visited a week before,” Uba said.
He disclosed that government officials conducted follow-up inspections across major markets, including the state’s flagship commercial hubs, to assess compliance.
“Today we went around again with the Chief of Staff, the Commissioner for Information and some media people to check the level of compliance in the markets, and well and behold, the main market fully complied. It was about 98 per cent open. The activities were bustling,” he said.
However, Uba noted that some markets, including Ochanja, were yet to achieve full compliance, prompting enforcement measures.
“There are some other markets that are yet to fully comply, like Ochanja. There is a directive by Mr Governor that if markets are not open, we can seal the line, and we will seal the line and let the line go on holiday for about one or two weeks. That is what we did today,” he stated.
According to him, specific market lines that failed to comply have already been marked for temporary closure.
“We monitored, and there are some lines that have been marked to be shut down,” Uba said, stressing that sanctions would apply to traders who defy the directive.
“Some of them opened shops but did not come to market, and we are going to penalise them for not complying with the directive of Mr Governor.”
Addressing concerns about security, Uba insisted that the state government had ensured adequate protection before enforcing the reopening of markets.
“The security is in place. I will tell you for free, since the later part of 2024, people have been moving around,” he said.
He added that traders had already resumed business informally even before the official suspension of the sit-at-home.
“In December, they traded even on Monday and even on Sunday. After Christmas festivities, the markets were fully operational. This time around, Mr Governor only had to give a small push, and everybody came back.”
Uba described Onitsha Main Market as a critical economic hub not only for Anambra but for the wider region.
“Main market is the number one market in West Africa. People come all the way from Cameroon, the North and the West of Nigeria to do business there,” he said.
He emphasised that the decision to reopen was backed by confidence in security arrangements.
“Anambra is now back and open for business. The security is guaranteed. Last Monday nothing happened. Today again, nothing happened. The security is top-notch,” Uba said.
He added that Governor Soludo had laid the groundwork for the move well in advance.
“Before Mr Governor embarked on anything, he always thinks it through. The foundation was laid as far back as last year,” he noted.
While acknowledging lingering resistance, Uba blamed a small group for attempting to undermine the policy.
“The only issue is that there are some small economic saboteurs encouraging this, and that is why we are forcing everybody to go back to work,” he said.
Commenting on recent calls attributed to Nnamdi Kanu urging people to resume normal activities, Uba dismissed suggestions that the sit-at-home originated from him.
“When they said that he is behind it, he said he was not part of it. He was never part of it. So this group claiming they have called it off, well, it’s good, but the issue is that Mr Governor had already brought business back to Anambra,” he said.
Uba further praised the state’s security record in recent months.
“Anambra is almost one of the best-secured states in the federation. December was very peaceful. There was no incident of kidnapping or violence, and it is still continuing,” he said.
He credited security agencies for sustaining calm across the state.
“The security agencies are doing very well to keep Anambra secured.”
Boluwatife Enome
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