The Anambra State Government has announced that it will begin deducting the salaries of civil servants who fail to report for duty on Mondays due to the sit-at-home order linked to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The decision was disclosed on Saturday by the state Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, while briefing journalists in Awka. He said the policy was approved at the end of a State Executive Council (SEC) retreat held on Friday.
Mefor explained that the move was aimed at addressing persistent absenteeism among public servants, noting that many government workers had stayed away from work every Monday for nearly four years, despite what the government described as significant improvements in the security situation across the state.
According to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the commissioner said some workers had continued to exploit the situation, knowing they would still receive their full monthly salaries whether they showed up for work or not.
“Some civil servants have taken advantage of the situation, fully aware that they would be paid regardless of attendance,” Mefor said. “While this clearly amounts to absenteeism under the civil service rules, the government has chosen a less punitive approach.”
He explained that instead of applying stricter disciplinary measures such as queries or sanctions, the government would adopt a pro-rata salary system, meaning any worker who fails to work on Mondays would lose pay for that specific day.
To ensure compliance, the commissioner said attendance registers would be introduced across ministries, departments and agencies. Civil servants will be required to sign in at the start of work and sign out at the close of business every Monday.
Mefor noted that the continued absence of workers on Mondays had negatively affected government efficiency and contributed to economic losses in the state, as official duties and public services were often stalled.
“Each lost workday means delayed government operations and reduced revenue,” he said, adding that revenue-generating agencies such as the Anambra Internal Revenue Service, as well as other ministries, departments and parastatals, were among those most affected.
The commissioner also ruled out the idea of shifting official workdays to Saturdays, describing it as unrealistic and a move that would amount to tacitly endorsing the sit-at-home order.
He stressed that the government could not continue encouraging markets, businesses and the informal sector to operate on Mondays while civil servants remained absent from work, insisting that public service must lead by example.
