By Our Correspondent
The reconstructed Onitsha Main Market is expected to open for commercial activities this Christmas season, with more than 6,000 shops and modern facilities designed to boost trade, strengthen security and extend daily operating hours to 10 p.m.
The project, which commenced some months ago, has reached an estimated 90 per cent completion, according to the Anambra State Government.
Being undertaken as part of Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo’s urban regeneration programme, the redevelopment features an independent power plant, additional boreholes, a health centre, toilet facilities, a motor park, solar-powered streetlights, CCTV cameras and a fire station.
The project also includes four access roads, three major entrance gates and eight smaller gates within the market to improve accessibility and enhance security.
Speaking during an inspection of the project, the Commissioner for Housing, Arch. Henry Arinze, said the initiative was designed to make business transactions easier for traders and their customers.
“With over 6,000 shops at the market, we are good to go,” Arinze said, expressing confidence that the facility would be ready for commercial use during the Christmas season.
He explained that the installation of an independent power plant would enable traders to operate until 10 p.m., extending business hours beyond the previous 5 p.m. closing time.
According to him, construction work has been scheduled mainly for nights and Sundays to allow traders to continue their businesses with minimal disruption.
“We would have gone farther than this because we work only at nights and on Sundays so that traders can be doing business while the project is going on,” he said.
Arinze clarified that the project was not a demolition exercise but part of the state government’s broader urban regeneration programme aimed at modernising the market.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Projects Monitoring, Prof. Ebuka Nwankwo, said the redevelopment would restore the market’s historical significance and provide infrastructure commensurate with its commercial importance.
He noted that since the market was reconstructed in 1971, following the Nigerian Civil War, it had not witnessed improvements on the scale of the current project.
Nwankwo recalled that the market had experienced four fire incidents over the years, with affected traders often having to rebuild their shops.
He said the state government was committed to restoring the market’s former glory through deliberate investments in infrastructure and safety.
The Head of Civil and Structural Engineering, Prof. Henry Aginam, commended the state government for embarking on the project, describing it as a bold step towards improving the market’s infrastructure.
He expressed satisfaction with the quality of construction materials being used and the involvement of relevant professionals in the project.
Similarly, the representative of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Engr. Prof. Akaolisa Ezeadi, praised the quality of work and adherence to professional standards.
Ezeadi said the regulatory body had continued to monitor the project to ensure compliance with established engineering practices and would sustain its inspections until completion.
The Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mr. Nonso Ebonwu, said the redevelopment would revitalise commercial activities at the market and attract more customers from across Nigeria and beyond.
He disclosed that a similar project was being undertaken at Nkwo Nnewi, the popular auto-parts market, as part of the state government’s wider efforts to improve commercial infrastructure across Anambra State.
The Chairman of the Onitsha Main Market Traders Association, Chief Chijipke Okpalaugo, expressed satisfaction with the transformation, noting that patronage had increased despite the ongoing construction work.
He reaffirmed the traders’ continued support for the state government’s efforts to modernise the market.
When completed, the project is expected to provide a safer and more functional trading environment, improve access to essential services and strengthen Onitsha’s position as one of southeastern Nigeria’s leading commercial centres.
