Governor Charles Soludo has shut down the Onitsha Main Market again. The market will be closed for one week. This is because the traders did not open for business on Monday. They obeyed the sit-at-home order from the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The government says the sit-at-home is illegal. It hurts business and scares away investors. The market is one of the biggest in the South East. Closing it means traders lose money and customers can't buy what they need.
This is not the first time. The same market was closed in January for the same reason. The governor is trying to force people to ignore the sit-at-home. He wants normal business to return on Mondays.
For everyday Nigerians, this is a tough situation. Traders are caught in the middle. If they open, they fear for their safety. If they close, the government punishes them. It shows how the sit-at-home crisis is directly hitting people's livelihoods.
The big question is: will this strategy work? Can closing markets make people feel safe enough to open shop? Or will it just add to the economic pain in the region? Only time will tell.
