NNEWI —— Chairman of Onitsha Main Market, Chijioke Okpalaugo, has allegedly resigned his leadership of the market.
This comes after suspected hoodlums Sunday night reportedly placed a coffin in front of the “White House”, the administrative headquarters of the Onitsha Main Market, following Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s direction that the market should be reopened on Monday, February 2.
Since Mr. Okpalaugo did not return calls to his cell phone, Vanguard was unable to confirm the situation right away.
Some traders indicated that Okpalaugo’s departure is not unrelated with Governor Soludo’s instruction that the market should be opened today, and he is not ready to risk his life opening the market.
Vanguard learned that even the security personnel stationed at the “White House” were unable to provide an explanation for how, when, and by whom the coffin was delivered.
A trader claims that the most popular topic in the traders’ WhatsApp group was the purported departure of the chairman of Onitsha Main Market.
Some traders, who talked this morning, claimed that they would not go out or go to the market. A trader also informed Vanguard that he has advised his four apprentices who leave his house for the market daily as early as 6:30am, not to walk out, because he does not want to answer any inquiries from their parents.
There was no vehicular and human traffic as generally seen in recent times in Onitsha before the suspension of the market by Governor Soludo. A trader, Okechukwu Okafor, told Vanguard that merchants want the governor to come to Onitsha to address them to open the market, as he was claimed to have done last Monday when he ordered that the market be shut down.
“It is not just staying in Awka and surrounded by the army, police and DSS and giving orders that the Onitsha Main Market should be reopened. We want Governor Soludo to visit Onitsha, as he did when he issued the order to close the market last week. He should also come and execute the customary opening ceremony so that the traders in the market will start trading,” Okafor said.
