The Anambra State Government has disclosed that the state loses an estimated ₦8 billion every Monday due to the continued sit-at-home practice that shuts down markets and economic activities.
The Commissioner for Information, Law Mefoh, made this known on Tuesday during an interview on The Morning Brief, a programme aired on Channels Television and monitored by Hobnob News Nigeria.
Mefoh spoke while addressing the recent shutdown of the Onitsha main market ordered by Governor Chukwuma Soludo, insisting that the decision was necessary to revive economic activities in the state.
According to the commissioner, the sit-at-home phenomenon initially thrived on fear, but that situation has significantly changed.
“Let me repeat for emphasis that initially there was fear factor, but it’s no longer there. Even for months and years, Anambra security has been fairly restored, so there is no longer any fear factor,” Mefoh said.
He explained that despite the improvement in security, traders had continued to close their shops on Mondays, gradually turning the day into an extension of the weekend rather than a response to insecurity.
“What has happened is that the fear factor led to the closing of the market every Monday in the past, and over time, the traders now converted Monday into an extension of their weekend. And this in itself is seriously affecting the socio-economic life of any state,” he noted.
Mefoh revealed that economic data available to the state government shows heavy financial losses linked to the weekly shutdown.
“Statistics has it that Anambra is losing an average of ₦8 billion every Monday that the markets are shut. This is very serious,” he said.
He stressed that the government has a duty to ensure that businesses operate freely and the state’s economy remains active, adding that resistance to such efforts is unjustified.
“If you look at it from that perspective, you can see that the government has a responsibility to ensure that the economy is running, and those who are opposing it are simply being mischievous,” Mefoh added.
The Anambra State Government has repeatedly urged traders and residents to resume normal activities, assuring them of adequate security across the state.
