The Anambra State Government has announced that it will begin deducting the salaries of civil servants who fail to report for duty on Mondays in compliance with the sit-at-home directive issued by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The Commissioner for Information, Mr. Law Mefor, disclosed this on Saturday while addressing journalists after a State Executive Council (SEC) retreat held on Friday in Awka.
Mr. Mefor said the decision was aimed at addressing persistent absenteeism among public servants on Mondays, a trend the government noted has continued for more than four years, despite significant improvements in the state’s security situation.
“Some workers have taken advantage of the situation, knowing they would receive full salaries regardless of attendance,” he said, adding that such conduct constitutes absenteeism, which is punishable under civil service rules.
He explained, however, that the government had opted for a less severe approach by introducing pro-rata salary deductions instead of invoking full disciplinary measures.
Under the new policy, any civil servant who fails to report for duty on a Monday will forfeit pay for that day. To ensure compliance, Mr. Mefor said attendance registers would be introduced, requiring workers to sign in at resumption and sign out at the close of work on Mondays.
The commissioner said the continued absence of workers on Mondays has adversely affected government productivity and resulted in economic losses for the state.
“Every workday lost translates to stalled government business and loss of revenue,” he said.
He added that revenue-generating agencies, including the Anambra Internal Revenue Service, as well as other ministries, departments, and parastatals, have been particularly impacted by the trend.
Mr. Mefor also said the government had ruled out shifting official workdays to Saturdays, describing the option as impractical and tantamount to tacitly accepting the sit-at-home order.
He added that the state could not continue to encourage markets and the informal sector to operate on Mondays while its own workforce remained absent from duty.
