Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has criticised traders in Onitsha Main Market who refuse to open their shops on Mondays, describing their claims of insecurity as “delusional.”

In a state broadcast on Wednesday, Soludo insisted that the sit-at-home order had ended in Anambra in 2023, and that continued closure of shops on Mondays amounted to economic sabotage. “It could be said that since 2023, anybody saying he didn’t open the shop because of insecurity is just delusional,” he said.

The governor argued that insecurity was not a valid excuse, pointing out: “Go round some other places that are more insecure, and the markets are open. Onitsha, of all places, Main Market with over 150 security personnel and you are saying the reason you are not open is because of insecurity? Absolute nonsense.”

Earlier on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief programme, trader Gibson Okafor countered that while security was provided around the market, there was no presence along the routes leading to it on Mondays.

He explained: “Some people are coming from Nkpor, Asaba, and other areas. They need transporters to operate and security along the routes so traders can come to the market. If they don’t see security men and transporters, they can’t come to the market.”

Okafor added that the failure of banks to open and transporters to operate also contributed to traders’ reluctance to resume business on Mondays.

Soludo, however, dismissed the argument, noting that traders were still active in other Monday activities.

“But you are in the stadium playing, insecurity allows you to go to the stadium to play, allows you to be working out on the roads, allows street trading all over the place, the roads are blocked with street trading but insecurity doesn’t allow you to open your shops at the Main Market,” he said.