Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo has declared that the regeneration of the Onitsha Main Market is a debt the state owes to future generations, insisting that the Saturday deadline for traders to vacate marked areas is “sacrosanct.”
Speaking at the Light House, Awka, during a high-stakes town hall meeting with shop owners and stakeholders on Thursday, the Governor detailed a vision to rescue the market from what he described as a state of “death” and decay.
Governor Soludo did not mince words regarding the current state of West Africa’s once-premier commercial hub. He lamented that the market has become a “shadow of itself,” citing his own inability to drive through the premises during recent visits due to extreme congestion and the disappearance of original infrastructure.
“I have not been able to drive through Main Market, even at the fifth time when I came, because it has become a shadow of itself… dead, to say the least,” the Governor stated. He warned that without immediate intervention, the market “cannot survive the next ten years” as customers and traders are already fleeing in droves to emerging markets across Nigeria.
The Governor highlighted a critical collapse in urban planning, noting that the market’s three out of the original five motor parks had been illegally converted into shopping plazas, leaving only two functional parks.
“Everywhere else in the world, if you can’t park, you can’t shop. The space for the park is usually bigger than the shopping area. Today, that is no longer the case in Main Market.”
The meeting ventured into a dramatic turn when the shop owners suddenly started chatting and opting for the option one, which was offered to them by the Governor, a month ago. The option one entails comprehensive remodeling of the market to be in tandem with modern reality.
To rectify this, Governor Soludo announced a phased remodeling plan:
* Phase 0: Immediate reclamation of original parking spaces.
* Phases 1–4: Systematic leveling and rebuilding of the entire market complex to restore the original master plan.
The Governor confirmed that while the original two-week notice was extended to one month to allow traders to secure their inventory, the 28-day window ends tomorrow, adding that if there is need for any changes, they would be properly communicated.
Addressing the concerns of those who ignorantly purchased shops in the affected areas, Governor Soludo expressed deep sympathy but maintained that legality must prevail. He revealed that part of the amendments to the state’s Physical Planning Law will now allow for the prosecution of government officials who facilitated illegal allocations in the past.
“We are a government that cares about her people,” Governor Soludo said. “I know some of you bought shops not knowing what was on the ground… we empathize and sympathize with you. But we must build this Anambra State together, especially for the 8.5 million Ndị Anambra and our unborn children.”
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