Sit-at-home: Low patronage, high transport costs stall Anambra markets

2026-02-23 - 12:56

By Chimaobi Nwaiwu NNEWI — Commercial activities across Anambra State remain sluggish despite efforts by Governor Chukwuma Soludo to compel traders to return to their shops and end the Monday sit-at-home. Although many traders have resumed, they say customers from within and outside the state have yet to return in significant numbers, leaving markets largely inactive on Mondays. Some traders willing to reopen also lamented the high cost of transportation to and from markets, noting that the expenses are difficult to recover amid low patronage. A visit to Onitsha on Monday revealed that, beyond market stalls, many roadside businesses, artisans, and private shop owners kept their premises locked, reflecting lingering fear and uncertainty. Shops along major commercial routes — including Oguta Road, Awka Road, Old and New Cemetery roads, Old Market Road, and New Market Road, which link to Onitsha Main Market — were largely closed. Along New Market Road, known for interior decoration materials and phone accessories, shops between the NNPC filling station and major banks, including Zenith Bank and UBA, remained shut, while several banks were not in operation. A shop owner on Old Market Road, Sir Amechi Ukoro, who opened for business but saw no customers, said traders feel abandoned by both federal and state authorities over the issues that triggered the sit-at-home protests. “The situation is like a wound and it will take time to heal,” he said, urging governments to address the underlying grievances to restore confidence. Traders at Sokoto Road Market and other locations also called on the state government to regulate transport fares, accusing tricycle and commercial bus operators of exploiting the situation. Okechukwu Okafor, a trader, said transport fares have risen sharply, with trips that once cost ₦200 now ranging from ₦500 to ₦1,000, while journeys from Onitsha Main Market to Nkpor Junction now cost up to ₦1,000 by bus and ₦1,500 by tricycle. He noted that spending between ₦1,600 and ₦2,000 daily on transport without corresponding sales is unsustainable. Traders also accused some petrol stations of arbitrary pricing, which they say has contributed to fare hikes by transport operators. At Ogbaru Main Market, traders urged the government to ensure banks open on Mondays to support business transactions, warning that continued closures would discourage full market resumption. Observations along Upper New Market Road near Emeka Offor Shopping Plaza showed that only two out of more than ten banks had their gates partially open, leaving customers uncertain about their operational status. At Ochanja Central Market, trading activity was minimal, with only two shops open in a row of about 40, a situation one trader described as discouraging, frustrating, and driven by fear for personal safety.