In south-east Nigeria, Monday trading is slowly picking up
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Vanguard
Illustrative image · David Iloba · Pexels · Licence PexelsAccording to Vanguard, commercial activity is gradually resuming in south-east Nigeria after years of Monday "sit-at-home" orders imposed by non-state actors. In Onitsha, Anambra State has forcibly closed markets to compel traders to reopen, but many shops remain shut, as many residents have adopted Monday as a day of rest.
Commercial activity is gradually resuming in south-east Nigeria after years of a Monday "sit-at-home" imposed by non-state actors, according to the Nigerian daily Vanguard. Some states are returning more slowly than others.
In Anambra State, the government had to forcibly close markets in Onitsha and elsewhere to compel traders to reopen on Mondays, but many shops remained closed. According to Vanguard, the threat of these orders has receded significantly and the violence of the past is now rarely seen. Many residents, particularly independent business owners, now voluntarily rest on Mondays. Several rural communities also reserve the day for community meetings, neighbourhood policing or road repairs.
In Aba, Abia State, the big markets have not regained their usual Monday footfall. Prince Tochukwu Aguguo, former chairman of the Ekeoha Shopping Plaza, says that many traders open, but many customers stay away. He attributes this in part to resentment over the detention of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the pro-independence movement IPOB (Indigenous People of Biafra). According to him, some observe Mondays out of personal solidarity, not under compulsion.
