‘Do We Give Up Monday And Take Saturday As Working Day?’ – Soludo Queries Si-At-Home

The Anambra State Government has announced that it will begin pro rata salary payments to civil servants, effective February 2026, as part of efforts to end the persistent Monday sit-at-home culture in the state.

Naija News reports that this was made known by the Commissioner for Information, Dr Law Mefor, during a press briefing on Saturday in Awka, following the end-of-tenure retreat of the Anambra State Executive Council (ANSEC).

According to Mefor, the pro-rata policy is a response to what he described as deliberate absenteeism by civil servants despite the improving security situation in the state.

Mefor said, “The workers were simply enjoying the sit-at-home because they knew that whether they came to work or not, they would be paid their salaries.

“Ordinarily, the matter should be treated as a case of absenteeism, which could lead to dismissal from service, as is captured in the civil service law. But we are not following that route. The state government has decided to pay pro rata from this February.”

He explained that workers would now be required to clock in and out every Monday to ensure proper attendance records are kept.

The commissioner noted that the four-year-long trend of skipping work on Mondays was no longer justifiable.

“Even though insecurity and transport challenges existed in the past, they no longer apply. These are no longer valid reasons for staying away from work,” he said.

Mefor stressed that civil service absenteeism on Mondays had significantly affected the state’s productivity and revenue generation.

“If the staff of the Anambra Internal Revenue Service and other MDAs decide to absent from work on Monday, the state loses a lot of money and impedes the progress of work,” he added.

Markets May Follow As Security Tightens

The government also revealed that talks are ongoing with market leaders to encourage the full resumption of business activities on Mondays, alongside the scaling up of security deployments to reassure traders and residents.

“The state is losing so much due to the sit-at-home, and the government cannot be asking the markets and informal sectors to resume when its own workforce has refused to show up,” he stated.

Rejecting suggestions to swap Mondays for Saturdays as a workaround, Mefor said, “Do we now say we give up Monday and take Saturday as a working day? That will not work. It will mean that Anambra State has yielded to whoever introduced this sit-at-home. And we will be the only state working on Saturdays in Nigeria, which will be absurd.”

On how the deductions will be made, Mefor clarified that each month would be considered to have 24 working days, and workers’ pay would be calculated based on actual attendance.

“Every naira spent must reflect fairness, efficiency and sustainability. This is why the pro-rata system is being introduced,” he said.

He concluded by noting that the economic cost of the sit-at-home across the South-East is running into trillions, and Anambra could no longer afford to absorb such losses.

“It is a decision the state government has taken, and the implementation is already on,” Mefor affirmed.