Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, has urged traders to resume trading on Monday, insisting that the sit-at-home order has been totally defeated.
The governor encouraged traders across the state, in all markets, including Onitsha Main Market, which was shut two weeks ago and later reopened last week, to ensure they open for business.
In a press release signed on his behalf by his Press Secretary, Mr. Christian Aburime, Soludo told traders to open their shops and let their enterprise shine.
Aburime said in the release: “Last Monday, we witnessed something historic and phenomenal in Anambra. For the first time in over five years, the heartbeat of commerce in Onitsha Main Market recovered its pulse strongly on a Monday.
“The streets came alive, the shops were open, traders and customers carried out their normal business, and the air carried not the silence of fear, but the vibrant sound of a new dawn in progress.
“The call now goes out to every market, from Nkwo Nnewi to Eke Awka, from Ose to Ogbogwu and everywhere else across Anambra: Open your business doors. Let your goods be seen. Let your enterprise shine. To the customers and patrons, the lifeblood of our economy: Go out with confidence. Your presence is the fuel for this revival.
“The collective courage we displayed last week must become our collective habit this week and every week thereafter, and forever.
“Yes, come out. Open up. Buy and sell. The time for hesitation is over. The season of recovery, growth, progress and prosperity is now. No turning back on Monday business. No more sitting at home romancing fear and poverty. We are standing up in the marketplace for good,” he said.
The governor insisted that security arrangements have been made and that even if traders do not see the operatives, they should rest assured that they have been adequately deployed to the markets.
“Let there be no doubt in anyone: the security arrangement standing guard is robust, vigilant and unflinching, even if you don’t immediately notice it.
“The combined forces of the state police, the joint task force and the Agunechemba vigilantes under the Udo Ga Chi mandate are deployed not as a mere reaction, but as a permanent shield around our markets.
“Last week’s peaceful, bustling activity was the ultimate proof that our environment is secure. The fear that once held us hostage has been dismantled by decisive action and the visible, reassuring presence put in place by Governor Soludo.
“Every Monday opened is a Monday of reclaimed revenue, restored livelihoods and renewed hope. It is a direct investment in our children’s schools, our roads and our future. The prosperity of Ndi Anambra is inextricably linked to the vitality of our markets and our businesses every weekday.”
Sit-at-home: Go to market on Monday, let your enterprise shine – Soludo tells traders
