ONITSHA MONDAYS MAY ROAR BACK AS ARMY MOVES TO RECLAIM MAIN MARKET

Once the week’s liveliest trading day, Monday in Onitsha has become a scene of padlocked stalls and empty pavements. Now the Nigerian Army says it is determined to flip the script and breathe life back into Africa’s most famous marketplace.

Col. Bitrus Madaki Yakubu, who commands the 302 Artillery Regiment stationed in the city, told reporters that his men will be visibly deployed every Monday to “guarantee a safe and confident return to business .

“For months, fear has replaced commerce,” he said. “We’re going to reverse that. This market belongs to traders, not to intimidation.”

The announcement follows years of disruptive sit-at-home orders that drained billions of naira from the regional economy and eroded the market’s legendary hustle.

Economists call Onitsha Main Market the heartbeat of southeastern trade — and on Mondays that heartbeat has been flatlining.

Market unions and residents are cautiously optimistic. “We need consistency,” said textile seller Ifeanyi Okafor. “If the security is steady, the shops will open. People just want to feel safe.”

Analysts stress that soldiers alone can’t restore normalcy. Coordination between the army, the state government and market leadership — plus timely intelligence from residents — will be critical to success.

I
f the pledge works, Mondays could soon shift from ghost-town gloom to their old, thunderous rhythm of bargaining voices, rolling carts and clinking cash — a symbol that Onitsha’s economic engine is back in full gear.

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