By Otobong Gabriel, Abuja
After years of fear, silence, and forced closures, Onitsha Main Market finally breathed again on a Monday.
In what many residents describe as a historic turning point, Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, effectively ended the long-running Monday sit-at-home culture as traders reopened their shops and business activities resumed across the commercial city.
For the first time in nearly five years, the famous market — one of the largest in West Africa — witnessed real trading instead of deserted stalls and locked gates.
Earlier in the morning, tension still hung in the air.
By 6am, several streets were empty. Vehicles were scarce. School buses ran without pupils. Many residents stayed indoors, uncertain whether attacks might occur. Large sections of the market remained under lock and key, with traders standing nearby, watching and waiting.
But by noon, confidence slowly replaced fear.
One after another, shutters rolled up.
Business returned.
Customers trickled in. Voices grew louder. Trade resumed.
Traders said they signed attendance registers and clocked in, complying with the governor’s directive to ensure full participation.
Mrs. Chinyere, a phone accessories dealer at Emeka Offor Plaza, described the moment as liberation.
“We are happy Monday trading has finally started again. Other South-east states have been working while we stayed home. Soludo made this happen,” she said.
Security presence was also heavy, with police and military patrols stationed around the market to prevent any disruption.
Then came the symbolic moment.
Around 2pm, Soludo arrived personally at the market — not just to inspect, but to shop.
Moving from stall to stall, greeting traders and even joking about bargaining like “an original Onitsha boy,” the governor’s walk-through drew cheers and applause from traders who saw it as a bold statement of confidence.
“We have ended sit-at-home in Onitsha,” Soludo declared. “For the first time in five years, the market is open for business.”
The move has drawn praise from civil society groups.
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) commended both the traders and the governor for what it described as courage and collective resistance against economic paralysis.
In a statement, the group said ending the sit-at-home order would help revive the struggling South-east economy, which has suffered years of disruption, lost income, and insecurity.
However, HURIWA also raised fresh concerns about security, calling on Defence Headquarters to clarify the controversy surrounding the reported reappearance of a notorious IPOB commander earlier declared captured by the military.
The group urged authorities to provide transparent and credible information to maintain public trust.
Still, Monday’s development marked something many thought impossible — normalcy.
For traders who have watched their businesses shrink week after week, the reopening represents more than commerce.
It signals freedom.
After years of shutdown Mondays, Onitsha has finally chosen trade over terror — and business is back.
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