₦airaland Forum

Anambra Governor Soludo Marks 10,000 Shops For Demolition In Onitsha Main Market, Gives Traders 14 Days To Move
Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State has issued a 14-day ultimatum to traders in Onitsha Main Market to move as he marked no fewer than 10,000 shops for demolition in the market.

The governor issued the order amid controversy over his closure of the market for one week on Monday, January 26, over traders’ continued observance of the Monday sit-at-home, despite repeated government directives abolishing the practice.

Governor Soludo ordered the closure of the market during an unscheduled visit to the market, where he observed that a significant number of shops remained shut in defiance of the state government’s order lifting the sit-at-home linked to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

The governor had described the persistent closure of businesses on Mondays as unacceptable and warned that the government would no longer tolerate actions capable of undermining economic activities and public order in the state.

He had issued a stern warning to traders in the state, insisting that they must open their shops for business from Monday to Saturday or relocate elsewhere.

SaharaReporters earlier reported that traders at the Onitsha Main Market partially complied with Governor Soludo’s order to shun the sit-at-home practice and open shops from Monday to Saturday every week.

Despite the partial compliance with the government order to shun the Monday sit-at-home, traders at Onitsha lamented that they came to their shops only to find out that over 10,000 shops have been marked for demolition in the market, with a 14-day deadline for them to move out.

A trader, Uzochukwu Joseph Okoye, who owns a clothing shop at the market, said, “I opened today. I opened last Monday, but the market is not filled like last Monday.”

Asked about the situation at the market, he said, “The situation is that we came this morning and saw a lot of paints in our shops that we should move in 14 days. But that 14 days is too short. We cannot do anything within 14 days.

“A lot of people are in the market, ready to trade despite the fact that we do not see customers. Even when we were coming, transportation was also an issue.

“I’m pleading with the governor to also work on transportation and banks so that everywhere will operate fully on Mondays. This morning, some banks were not open, and some transportation companies are not operating.”

He noted that finding Keke Napep and commercial buses was a problem, making it almost impossible for traders to go to their shops.

On why their shops are marked for demolition, Okoye said that Governor Soludo is complaining that the Onitsha Main Market has been messed up, hence, the need for the demolition.

“But we, the traders know that before developers built these shops, I got approval from the state government, and the government gave them the standard approval of the shops to build.

“After building, the developers sold them to us, and we have been paying tax to the government. Now the governor marks all these shops as bad. He marked more than 10,000 shops, saying that those more than 10,000 shops should be removed.”

Okoye lamented that the most painful part of the planned demolition is that the government could provide an alternative for them.

Pleading with the governor to be patient with the traders, Okoye said, “If it is about Monday business, I’m sure that within two weeks, Main Market will be in full operation. Business will be booming and everything will be working normally.”

Okoye added, “We are even tired of staying at home but the challenges are transportation, banks and other things, which the government has promised to provide adequate security for us.”

He noted that what traders are asking is more time like one year for them to trade throughout this year 2026, “Then by January 2027, Soludo still has up to three years in office, he can start building whatever he wants to build.”

He said the traders need enough time to look for alternative shops elsewhere, noting that Onitsha Main Market is already filled up with not even a quarter shop space available.

“The governor marked more than 10,000 shops for demolition, and if you calculate the over 10,000 shop by their families, you will have about 50,000 families who will be stranded.

“That is not normal. How can those stranded families feed? How can they pay school fees? Many people’s blood pressure is already high. I took three people to the hospital this morning because of this issue before coming to the shop.”

He stressed, “Two weeks is too short. We cannot do anything for two weeks. Let the governor give at least one year so we can plan our lives. We also mean well for Anambra State.”

SaharaReporters

The Governor issued the order amid controversy over his closure of the market for one week on Monday, January 26, over traders’ continued observance of the Monday sit-at-home, despite repeated government directives abolishing the practice.

Odin13
Gidgiddy
Owobokiri

What will you say about this heartwarming decision by Governor Soludo to modernise main market Onitsha?

AsomughaChuks02:
Odin13
Gidgiddy
Owobokiri

What will you say about this heartwarming decision by Governor Soludo to modernise main market Onitsha?

Initial Gra Gra
Law abiding citizens decided on their own volition to stay at home and honour a just struggle, while one elitist loudmouth went around issuing threats to satisfy his ogas at Abuja. He will fail as he should.
Desperate politician's and their worn out antics..

Soludo came to governance promising to turn Anambra into the Dubai of Africa. As it stands now, it seems it is only his pockets and that of his cronies that have been turned into the socalled Dubai. Turn Awka to Ghana and Onitsha to Cotonou for a start, he can't.. Just cho cho cho
Dude is out of sort. All over the place..

It is a democracy and as such, there is nothing like a civilian sole administrator. That excutive marabout is having some military regime hangover. He was elected to build and not to destroy. That main market was built by the whole Eastern region government when he was a toddler. Uptill today, none of them eastern governors have been able to replicate anything close to that.

Soludo should be advised to go.and build hospitals, roads, schools, factories and railways. Charlie Nwamgbòfaor was not elected to squabble with market women!
Professor of Iberibeism on the beat..

owobokiri:
Initial Gra Gra
Law abiding citizens decided on their own volition to stay at home and honour a just struggle, while one elitist loudmouth went around issuing threats to satisfy his ogas at Abuja. He will fail as he should.
Desperate politician's and their worn out antics..

Soludo came to governance promising to turn Anambra into the Dubai of Africa. As it stands now, it seems it is only his pockets and that of his cronies that have been turned into the socalled Dubai. Turn Awka to Ghana and Onitsha to Cotonou for a start, he can't.. Just cho cho cho
Dude is out of sort. All over the place..

It is a democracy and as such, there is nothing like a civilian sole administrator. That excutive marabout is having some military rwgime hangover. He was elected to build and not to destroy. That main market was built by the whole Eastern region government when he was a toddler. Uptill today, none of them governors have been able to replicate anything close to that.

Somudo should be advised to go.and build hospitals, roads, schools, factories and railways. Charlie Nwamgbòfaor was not elected to squabble with market women!
Professor of Iberibeism on the beat..

I am happy you wrote this long epistle for our 21/21 working governor. Main market is on the path to greatness.

AsomughaChuks02:

I am happy you wrote this long epistle for our 21/21 working governor. Main market is on the path to greatness.

Call any of your people at Onitsha today.
From what we are hearing, the level of compliance with today's sit at home is/was total. It is as if the people wanted to prove a point. There seem to be a desperation on the part of the people to set the records straight.

Let him stay at Awka and be speaking his big grammar with his mouth like that of Mr Ibu.

You are here trying to trend a false narrative, but the ordinary people on ground have vehemently refused to be bamboozled by a power drunk moribund professor, whose elitist tendencies pushed him to threaten bulldozing the whole Onitsha Main market.
Like our people will say: "Let him do his worst"..

Is this how unity will be achieved in Biafra? Spits

owobokiri:
Call any of your people at Onitsha today.
From what we are hearing, the level of compliance with today's sit at home is/was total. It is as if the people wanted to prove a point. There seem to be a desperation on the part of the people to set the records straight.

Let him stay at Awka and be speaking his big grammar with his mouth like that of Mr Ibu.

You are here trying to trend a false narrative, but the ordinary people on ground have vehemently refused to be bamboozled by a power drunk moribund professor, whose elitist tendencies pushed him to threaten bulldozing the whole Onitsha Main market.
Like our people will say: "Let him do his worst"..

Onitsha main market traders made me proud today. And they received our 21/21 working governor with so much love. I am sure they are seeing the transformation in Anambra and are earnestly awaiting same at Main market.

The igbos in lagos are they sitting at home on Monday? because they are the nairaland biafra

;DThis is MARGINALIZATION!!!!!!

Soludo is JEALOUS of us!

Soludo wants to form a "mini president trump" in Anambra,,,he wants to force us to a nLegotiating table, but he will loose.

Will he also demolish the banks that did not open today too?

The traders should have moved their businesses to Asaba. I don't know what Sheriff has being thinking. He could have leverage on this to lure the traders to Asaba.

May i also remind Onitsha people that they aren't Igbos, they are Anioma by origin, and should start the agitation for governent to cede onitsha back to Anioma as they belonged to Anioma clan before the british ceded Onitsha to south east for administrative purposes.

since the igbo government of soludo can no longer protect their interest, they should think of re-joining their ancestral clan of Anioma

Lol... This is why I believe we should introduce mid-term elections in this nation.

That's the only way to curb this second term "dictatorship" and stupidity among elected office holders.

This decision is economically questionable. Onitsha Main Market is a major source of Anambra State’s IGR and supports thousands of livelihoods. Any government that fully understands its economic value would focus on proper restructuring and stakeholder engagement, not large-scale demolition. Development should protect revenue streams and people’s means of survival, not destroy them.

"This is not bad at all. It is perfectly acceptable since it is not Lagos."

Regards,

Anambra Residents.

owobokiri:
Call any of your people at Onitsha today.
From what we are hearing, the level of compliance with today's sit at home is/was total. It is as if the people wanted to prove a point. There seem to be a desperation on the part of the people to set the records straight.

Let him stay at Awka and be speaking his big grammar with his mouth like that of Mr Ibu.

You are here trying to trend a false narrative, but the ordinary people on ground have vehemently refused to be bamboozled by a power drunk moribund professor, whose elitist tendencies pushed him to threaten bulldozing the whole Onitsha Main market.
Like our people will say: "Let him do his worst"..

Compliance Was poor today, many traders opened for business but customers were scarce

He knows he cannot do that. This man is losing it on daily basis o

Urban renewal is necessary, but in a place like Onitsha Main Market, success depends on balancing regulation with protecting the livelihoods of tens of thousands of traders. Poor handling could turn a development initiative into a crisis.

Okonsbecky:
The igbos in lagos are they sitting at home on Monday? because they are the nairaland biafra

IS LAGOS NOW PART OF BIAFRA?

Onukwu!

I support this..... Let serious minded people occupy the shops...

You'd rather listen to a terrorist group than listen to your governor....

Angelfrost:
Lol... This is why I believe we should introduce mid-term elections in this nation.

That's the only way to curb this second term "dictatorship" and stupidity among elected office holders.

He pain you a lot o. Haba. Why nah?

We waste spend billions on mid term elections because of the attempt to modernize a local market?

If Obi ever comments on this, they should just swear him in as president in 2027

Ok

owobokiri:
Initial Gra Gra
Law abiding citizens decided on their own volition to stay at home and honour a just struggle, while one elitist loudmouth went around issuing threats to satisfy his ogas at Abuja. He will fail as he should.
Desperate politician's and their worn out antics..

Soludo came to governance promising to turn Anambra into the Dubai of Africa. As it stands now, it seems it is only his pockets and that of his cronies that have been turned into the socalled Dubai. Turn Awka to Ghana and Onitsha to Cotonou for a start, he can't.. Just cho cho cho
Dude is out of sort. All over the place..

It is a democracy and as such, there is nothing like a civilian sole administrator. That excutive marabout is having some military regime hangover. He was elected to build and not to destroy. That main market was built by the whole Eastern region government when he was a toddler. Uptill today, none of them eastern governors have been able to replicate anything close to that.

Soludo should be advised to go.and build hospitals, roads, schools, factories and railways. Charlie Nwamgbòfaor was not elected to squabble with market women!
Professor of Iberibeism on the beat..

You can go to sambissa.

OLAADEGBU:
The Governor issued the order amid controversy over his closure of the market for one week on Monday, January 26, over traders’ continued observance of the Monday sit-at-home, despite repeated government directives abolishing the practice.

Soludo, tell PBAT to release Mazi Nnamdi Kalu so that sit at home in the southeast shall end.
Demolishing people's shops is like pouring petrol to fire in the southeast.

Kudos to the governor. He knows what is right for the people.

Laughing in Ngwaland... people in that state are not serious..they can join North Central.

10,000 Shops marked for demolition?

Wow.

Just wow.

Whatever.
This is what I keep on saying.
You elect people that you have a handle on.
Above all the qualities political leadership presents,.if it does not have respect for the wishes of the people and cannot work with them to realise mutual aspirations, then governance becomes a drag.

As important as this market matter is, where did the governor promise, pledge or present a proposal to do what he intends while campaigning.

This goes to show there is little synergy between leadership and the led and I always ask this question to my fellow citizens, why do you go out to vote. What is the purpose.

Because post election disappoinment is always round the corner after the fact.

AsomughaChuks02:

I am happy you wrote this long epistle for our 21/21 working governor. Main market is on the path to greatness.

People's source of livelihood is on line and this is how you celebrate it.

If the unhappy father gets away with this,I will know that Anambra Soludo and ozonna are not the only homo sexual in Anambra.
I will take it that every Anambra man is Ozonna.

I’m sure Sawanolu and Tinubu asked him to demolish the shops. Everybody is just against these people.
Obi come and see something…