Soludo orders immediate remodelling of Onitsha market

Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo has ordered the immediate remodelling of the Onitsha Main Market, describing the decision as a hard, but necessary step taken after the market was shut for one week.The order followed the governors recent visit to the market, where he said the once-renowned commercial hub, often described as the biggest market in West Africa, had deteriorated badly and was literally dead.Addressing traders and stakeholders at the Light House in Awka on Friday, January 30, Soludo blamed the decline on decades of poor urban planning and the economic toll of the Monday sit-at-home order.The Onitsha Main Market, in its current state, is no longer functional. We have done the study. The main market is no longer what it was designed to be. It has literally died, the governor said.I recall a time in the late 70s when the market was a model of efficiency, with wide streets allowing trucks and shoppers to move freely. Today, that layout has been replaced by chaos.If people cannot park, they cannot shop. In the late 70s, trucks used to drive into the market; massive parking spaces were provided for them. Today, that is gone.Soludo said the persistent observance of the Monday sit-at-home order had been a major factor behind the markets collapse, noting that it had effectively been shut for more than 260 days since the practice began.He said billions of naira are lost weekly, with customers increasingly turning to alternative markets in neighbouring states.Leadership requires taking inconvenient steps to secure the future. The closure of the market is a corrective measure to reclaim the states economic life, he said.According to him, the state commissioned world-renowned experts in 2023 to design a comprehensive rebuilding plan for the 25-hectare market site, stressing that modern commerce depends on efficient logistics rather than congested stalls.Therefore, the remodelling efforts align with my manifesto to create planned and sustainable markets and communities and cities. At this point, leadership beckons on us to take those inconvenient steps to secure the future, Soludo added.Reacting to the directive, the Chairman of the Onitsha Main Market, Chijioke Okpalaugo, said traders were in agreement with the governments vision but appealed for time to relocate their goods.After careful consideration of the proposals presented by the state government for the revitalisation of our market, we, the leadership and traders of Onitsha Main Market, officially announce that we have chosen Option 2 as the preferred path forward, he said.We recognise that leadership requires difficult choices, and we accept this path for the ultimate good of nd Anambra and the survival of our iconic market. We are committed to the vision of a planned, sustainable, and accessible market that can once again compete on a global stage.However, we humbly appeal to Governor Soludo to grant us a short grace period. This will allow our members to safely evacuate their goods and wares from the areas designated as illegal structures before the commencement of enforcement and demolition.The governor had earlier ordered the one-week closure of the market after traders failed to comply with the states directive to ignore the Monday sit-at-home order, warning that the shutdown could be extended if non-compliance persists. He added that security agencies have sealed the market to enforce the directive, describing the action as part of an ongoing effort to reclaim economic life in the South-East.The post Soludo orders immediate remodelling of Onitsha market appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.