The Anambra State Government has announced that it will commence pro-rata salary payments for civil servants as part of measures to end the prolonged observance of Monday sit-at-home in the state.
The Commissioner for Information, Dr. Law Mefor, disclosed this to journalists in Awka on Saturday, saying the policy will take effect from February 2026. According to him, salaries of civil servants will henceforth be paid based on attendance, with workers losing pay for any Monday they fail to report to duty.
Mefor said the decision was taken at the end-of-tenure retreat of the Anambra State Executive Council (ANSEC), held in Awka, where the council reviewed the performance of Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration over the past four years and outlined priorities for the new term beginning on March 17, 2026.
He noted that for several years, many public servants in the state had stayed away from work on Mondays due to sit-at-home, citing insecurity and transportation challenges. However, he said those conditions no longer exist.
“The retreat acknowledged that even though these factors existed in the past, they no longer exist, making them invalid reasons for absenteeism from work,” Mefor said.
According to him, the government observed that workers continued to stay away from work because salaries were paid regardless of attendance.
“The workers were simply enjoying the sit-at-home because they know that whether they come to work or not, they will be paid salaries. The ANSEC retreat has decided to put a stop to the anomaly,” he said.
Mefor explained that although absenteeism ordinarily attracts disciplinary measures, including dismissal under civil service rules, the government opted instead to introduce pro-rata salary payments.
“So if you don’t want to lose your salary for that Monday, then you come to work. The mechanism is already in place, and forms are being devised so workers can clock in on Monday morning and clock out at close of work,” he said.
He stressed that absenteeism on Mondays has had a negative impact on government productivity and revenue generation, particularly affecting ministries, departments and agencies such as the Anambra Internal Revenue Service.
“Any day civil servants fail to come to work, the business of government stagnates and, by implication, the economy of the state suffers,” he said.
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Mefor added that the government rejected suggestions of replacing Mondays with Saturdays as working days, describing such a move as unrealistic and counterproductive.
He said negotiations were ongoing with market leaders to encourage the reopening of markets on Mondays, while security measures were also being strengthened to reassure traders.
On how the pro-rata payment would be calculated, the commissioner said each worker’s monthly salary would be divided by the 24 official working days to determine earnings.
“The thing has to be done. Four years is enough. The economic loss of the sit-at-home runs into trillions of naira, according to an international firm. The decision has been taken and implementation is already on,” he said.
The development follows an earlier Executive Order by the Anambra State Government abolishing the closure of schools on Mondays over sit-at-home. In a letter dated January 22, 2026, the Universal Basic Education Board warned that any teacher or non-tutorial staff who fails to report to duty on Mondays would either forfeit 20 per cent of their salary or lose it entirely.