Egbe bere, ugo bere, nke si ibe ya ebela, nku kwaa ya. (Let the kite perch, and let the eagle perch, whichever denies the other perch, let its wing break.) This Igbo proverb speaks to the necessity of coexistence and mutual progress, a principle now guiding Soludo’s firm declaration that the infamous Monday sit-at-home is over and that continued compliance is an act of sabotage against the Southeast. In a decisive move to reclaim the state’s economic soul, he has drawn a line in the sand. Following a tense week-long closure of the Onitsha Main Market, he confronted market leaders with an ultimatum: resume normal operations or face severe consequences. “To those shouting, ‘show me the law that allows you to close our shops,’ be ready when I show it to you,” Soludo stated bluntly. “I will also show the law that empowers me to revoke that market and repurpose it for the state’s benefit.”
Faced with the choice of market regeneration or total demolition and a two-year construction of a new market, the traders, led by Chairman Chijioke Okpalugo, chose cooperation. “We have resolved to open for full activities on Monday,” Okpalugo declared. “We stand with the governor’s action to save our economy.”
Soludo’s directive extends beyond markets. He has warned civil servants, private schools, and banks to resume full Monday operations or face sanctions, stating that a four-day school week is “absolute nonsense” in the 21st century. This fight, he stresses, is to protect livelihoods and reassure investors that Anambra is “open for business.”
This move is reinforced by a poignant historical note. On May 15, 2022, after Soludo became the first sitting governor to visit him in detention, IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, through his lawyer, Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, disapproved the infamous sit-at-home orders in a handwritten note. Kanu reportedly cursed the protest enforcers, blaming them for the region’s economic bleed—a curse that included the now-incarcerated Simeon Ekpa.
The sit-at-home rule has been a corrosive drain, costing traders an estimated ₦8 billion each Monday and stifling the human potential of Ndigbo. As the philosopher Edmund Burke once reflected, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Soludo’s campaign is a collective call to action, urging Ndi Anambra to reclaim their Mondays and destinies from saboteurs.
By securing the traders’ partnership, honoring Kanu’s disapproval, and extending his call to all sectors, Soludo seeks to restore not just commerce but dignity and normalcy. This is about children learning without interruption, workers earning without hesitation, and Ndi Anambra thriving in peace. In the spirit of unshakable hope, we remember the biblical proclamation: “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)