There’s no gainsaying the fact that sit-at-home observed every Monday across the entire Southeast of the country has not only been a ritual but “torn in the flesh” to both governments and people of the region. Even the originator, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), I believe did not anticipate a protracted period of time when they came up with the idea.
After all, the order which took effect August 9, 2021 was essentially initiated to demand freedom of their then incarcerated leader, Nnamdi Kanu who was in custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) for a month. Little wonder, the order’s later cancellation except days Kanu appeared in court.
Aside its economic humongous losses and security implications to the region, the consequences the monster brought to the educational, religious and social lives of people of the zone is better imagined than experienced.
Even visitors to the region are not spared as those who visited the area for probably weddings, burial and other engagements during weekends were apparently trapped after the ceremonies since they would not travel back till Tuesday the following week.
Unsuccessful past attempts
Unfortunately, several efforts and strategies deployed by various successive governments to end the quagmire, including persuasions and threats had been unsuccessful.
In Anambra state for example, the Governor Chukwuma Soludo-led government on assumption, made frantic moves to end the sit-at-home, including visiting the IPOB leader at the DSS’ detention facility in Abuja in continuation of finding a lasting solution to peace in the South-East part of the country.
He had also appealed for Kanu’s unconditional release, volunteering to stand surety for him, if federal government was willing to grant his release. Soludo promised to cater for Kanu if he was released to him, assuring that he would make him available whenever the authorities required him to do so.
Other efforts by the governor towards ending the sit-at-home were offering amnesty, empowerment programmes and pro-poor policies to ease the burden on residents. He also consulted key actors, including civil servants, teachers, traders transport unions and other stakeholders. Yet the monster refused to be tamed.
While many, especially workers and teachers complained about insecurity and lack of means of transportation to access their offices and schools, transporters and traders hinged their excuse essentially on insecurity. Instances of lost lives and destroyed vehicles in any of the Mondays were always reference points.
Soludo’s last option
Having experimented various strategies targeted at ending the sit-at-home, Soludo appeared to be left with no alternative than to resort to “force” as the last option, which, expectedly, might not have gone down well with many.
Residents and visitors alike were taken unawares, when on Monday, January 26, 2026, the governor, during his visit to the Onitsha main market, announced one-week closure of the market over traders’ disobedience to his directive to open markets every Monday. The governor also threatened one month closure extension of the market if the traders and their leaders continue such practice following Monday.
“The market closure is a necessary step to protect law-abiding citizens and reinforce the authority of the state, the government cannot stand by while a few individuals willfully undermine public safety and disregard official directives meant to restore normalcy” Soludo fumed.
Order to civil servants
Few days before, the government had ordered all workers in the state to resume work on Mondays, warning that failure would attract penalty of 20percent loss of their pay. A register was provided in every ministry for attendance of workers to that effect.
The governor had also directed all categories of schools in the State to ensure immediate resumption of full academic activities on Mondays. Soludo, through Commissioner for Education, Prof Ngozi Chuma-Udeh warned that any school that failed to comply would be shut.
“At the instance of the State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, all heads of schools, whether public, private, mission or returned schools are asked to heed to the directive in their own best interest. The Governor has ordered immediate closure of any school in Anambra State that fails to resume on Monday,” she said.
As expected, the closure of Onitsha main market, said to be the largest in Africa was greeted with protests and criticisms across the state, with many arguing that the governor had no rights to close the market.
One of such groups was the secessionist group who countered the governor’s directive by asking the traders to ignore the order and open their shops for businesses.
Businesses on hold
But the markets remained under lock for the entire 7days amidst heavy presence of combined military personnel who provided adequate security within and around the market.
While the one-week closure lasted, the governor met with relevant stakeholders, including the traders and the media in further consultations and explanations of his actions. According to the governor during the media engagement, the market closure was not a human rights violation, but taken to protect the state’s economic future and reaffirm that Anambra is open for business six days a week.
He insisted that the market is owned by state government, which could, in overriding public interest, take steps permitted by law if traders refuse to operate on Mondays. According to him, government had shown patience since 2023 but was now determined to restore normal economic activities.
“The continued observance of sit-at-home on Mondays, despite improved security in the state, amounts to a deliberate effort to undermine the South-East economy. The development has negatively affected traders, artisans, farmers and schoolchildren, who now operate on reduced work and school days.
“We have engaged widely with stakeholders since assuming office, including offering amnesty, empowerment programmes and pro-poor policies to ease the burden on residents. We’ve also consulted key actors in the past to discourage the sit-at-home as the practice harms the very people it claims to protect,” he added.
Deployment of security operatives
While dismissing claims that insecurity prevented business operations in Onitsha main market, Soludo assured that significant security presence had been deployed around the market.
“Monday remains the most important business day of the week and that its loss constitutes economic sabotage against Onitsha, Nnewi and Anambra at large. This matter is about livelihoods, security and prosperity, not politics,” he stressed.
As the expiration of the one-week closure drew near, tension heightened over what would the Monday set for the market opening hold, especially for traders and customers. The apprehension was heightened by a statement issued by IPOB spokesperson, Emma Powerful, declaring another sit-at-home in the entire Southeast.
According to him, “the sit-at-home was not enforcement; but a voluntary, collective expression of outrage and solidarity with the hardworking traders of Onitsha, whose livelihoods are now under direct assault by a governor who has chosen to act as an enforcer for anti-Biafran interests rather than a servant of his people.”
Though the statement was immediately refuted by Kanu’s lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor who disowned Powerful, asking people of the region to disregard such order, as well as a report alleging resignation of Emma Powerful as IPOB spokesperson.
Partial compliance
Yet the sit-at-home order that Monday was partially obeyed (especially in the early hours of the day) as reflected across the zone, especially within the education and transport sectors; which obviously could be attributed to fear of insecurity.
While IPOB was ‘celebrating’ its purported victory in what it termed, “total compliance” to its sit-at-home order, the Governor was in Onitsha markets jubilating with traders who were in their numbers to receive him. Accompanied by other key government officials, Soludo commended the traders for heeding to his call to resume businesses on Mondays.
Describing the day as an end to the illegal sit-at-home, the governor said the visit to the market served as a symbolic and practical declaration that the state is open for business. “It also signaled an end to the civil disobedience that has crippled the South-East economy since 2021,” he added.
The governor who walked through the economic heartbeat, regarded as high-traffic trading zones, including: Ose Market, Bright Street, Lagos Line, Emeka Offor Plaza, among others engaged the traders in conversations, just as he purchased local goods, ranging from fabrics to food items to demonstrate that the fear factor used to enforce the shutdown has evaporated.
“Ndi Anambra are taking back their day, their economy, and their future. Today marks an end to the sit-at-home,” Governor Soludo submitted.
Whether truly the five years old sit-at-home jinx has ended in Anambra state as declared by the Governor would probably be determined next Monday, which hopefully would be devoid of secessionist group’s sit-at-home order!
