Governor Chukwuma Soludo has reopened the New Auto Spare Parts Association (NASPA) market in Nnewi following a one-week punitive closure, while simultaneously ordering the immediate shutdown of Nkwo Ogbe market in Ihiala for continued defiance of the state’s anti-sit-at-home directive.
The dual enforcement action, carried out on Monday, March 2, 2026, marks the latest escalation in the administration’s campaign to end the mandatory Monday closures that officials say drain billions from the state’s economy. The Nnewi market was originally sealed on February 23 after government inspectors found the facility largely deserted.
The reopening of the Nnewi spare parts hub followed a compliance inspection by the Chairman of Nnewi North Local Government Area, Hon. Echezona Anazodo. Addressing the returning traders, Anazodo expressed satisfaction with the turnout but warned that the government would now shift its focus from collective punishment to individual accountability.
"I am happy to observe that traders complied with the order to resume business," Anazodo stated, according to reports from Vanguard. "Traders who fail to open will have their shops sealed individually. We don’t want a situation where the entire market is closed because of a few defaulters."
While Nnewi resumed operations, the situation in Ihiala remained stagnant. Government officials who visited the Nkwo Ogbe market on Monday morning found the facility under total lock and key. In response, the state ordered the market closed for one week, effective immediately.
