The youth wing of Ohanaeze Ndigbo has called on market leaders in Onitsha, Nnewi and Awka to collaborate with Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, to ensure that markets remain open on Mondays.
The group made the appeal while reacting to the recent closure of Onitsha Main Market by the state government over continued compliance with the sit-at-home order.
In a statement, the President of the Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, said all strategic measures must be deployed to allow traders operate freely without fear of intimidation or threats to life from criminal gangs allegedly disguising themselves as enforcers of the sit-at-home order, which he said has been halted by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Igboayaka urged market leaders, particularly those at Onitsha Main Market, to stop locking market entrances on Mondays, describing the action as political maneuvering detrimental to Igbo economic survival.
According to him, criminal elements enforcing sit-at-home are enemies of Ndigbo, allegedly sponsored to cripple commerce, which he described as the backbone of Igbo survival in Nigeria.
He noted that the Igbo people rebuilt their economy after the 1967–1970 civil war through resilience, entrepreneurship and the apprenticeship system that originated from Onitsha Main Market.
The Ohanaeze youth leader said anyone claiming market leadership while enforcing market lockdowns was acting against the economic interests of Ndigbo.
He praised Governor Soludo’s efforts to permanently end Monday sit-at-home in Anambra State, especially in Onitsha, describing it as a bold move that deserves the support of all progressive Igbo people.
Igboayaka also called on IPOB leadership and the Department of State Services (DSS) to collaborate with the Anambra State Government to end the sit-at-home and arrest criminal elements enforcing it.
He warned that opposition to efforts aimed at reopening markets on Mondays amounts to hostility against Igbo economic and political liberation.
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