Peter Obi, Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections has criticized the indiscriminate closure of markets in Onitsha, Anambra state due to drug-related offences, saying it an attack on small businesses and the growth of the economy.
Reacting to mixed opinions on his earlier call for the immediate reopening of unaffected markets, Obi emphasized that punishing legitimate traders for the crimes of a few is bad governance.
"This is how we have continued to decline where governance disregards the realities of everyday Nigerians. The earlier we embrace the fact that small-scale businesses are a critical part of the economy, the better for us as a developing nation,” he stated.
The former Anambra governor compared Nigeria’s policies to Indonesia, where MSMEs contribute over 90% of employment and enjoy government support while lawbreakers face targeted prosecution.
Obi recalled how, as governor, he preserved small businesses by securing special loans for MSMEs, setting up a Bank of Industry branch in Anambra, and refusing to ban motorcycle riders in spite of security concerns.
“Today, entire markets are being shut down because of the actions of a few. You do not cripple an Ogbo Ogwo market and surrounding markets for several days in the name of enforcement. This is not governance; it is economic sabotage.
“A one-month closure will cripple many of them. We have seen similar situations in the past, where businesses reopened only to find that goods that are perishable or with short shelf lives had expired, leading to huge losses.
“Additionally, I like to advise that shop owners should be present before any searches are conducted on their premises to ensure transparency and fairness,” he added.