The Anambra State Government has announced a major policy shift aimed at ending the prolonged observance of the weekly Monday sit-at-home order enforced by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a directive that has significantly disrupted economic activity, civil service operations, and public life across the state over the past four years.
In a statement made on Saturday in Awka, the state Commissioner for Information, Dr Law Mefor, said that beginning February 2026, the salaries of civil servants will be calculated and paid on a pro-rata basis, meaning that workers who fail to attend work on Mondays will forfeit pay for those days they are absent. This decision, which emerged from the end-of-tenure retreat of the Anambra State Executive Council, is part of a broader government effort to compel civil servants to resume duties on Mondays and to improve overall state productivity.
Dr Mefor told journalists that the pro-rata salary policy is intended to address “persistent Monday absenteeism” among public servants, which the government said has persisted despite improvements in the state’s security environment. According to the commissioner, many workers have stayed away from duty on Mondays simply because they knew they would still be paid in full regardless of attendance, thereby turning the weekly sit-at-home into a de facto day off for the civil service. He explained that civil service rules normally treat absenteeism as a disciplinary offence, potentially warranting sanctions up to dismissal, but the government chose pro-rata pay as a less severe and more equitable alternative to encourage compliance.
Under the new arrangement, an employee’s monthly pay will be divided by the 24 official working days recognised by the state to determine the daily rate. Workers who report for duty on Mondays will be paid for those days, while those who do not report will lose the equivalent portion of their salary. To enforce the policy, the government has introduced attendance registers and mechanisms requiring civil servants to clock in and out on Mondays, a measure aimed at verifying actual presence at the workplace. 
Dr Mefor said that the continued absence of workers on Mondays has stalled government business, reduced productivity in crucial revenue-generating agencies such as the Anambra Internal Revenue Service, and resulted in significant revenue losses. Citing analysis by an international firm, he stated that the economic losses linked to the sit-at-home over the last four years have run into trillions of naira, reinforcing the urgency of government action to restore full weekly work routines.
Officials also stressed that shifting the official workweek to include Saturdays in place of Mondays is not a viable option, dismissing it as impractical and tantamount to acquiescing to the sit-at-home directive. Instead, the government emphasised that public servants must lead by example by attending work on Mondays, as the state continues to engage with market leaders and strengthen security measures to encourage traders and the broader populace to resume legitimate business activities at the start of each week. 
In a related development, the Anambra State Universal Basic Education Board (ASUBEB) issued a circular on January 22, 2026, declaring the abolition of the Monday sit-at-home and warning that teachers and education workers who fail to comply with Monday duty requirements will face significant salary sanctions, including deductions of up to 80 per cent or forfeiture of pay entirely. This directive applies to both teaching and non-teaching staff across the state’s 21 local government education authorities and underscores the government’s broader push to normalise the weekly work schedule across all sectors. 
By aligning salary payments with actual attendance, the administration aims to dismantle a culture of absenteeism, revitalise state revenue flows, and reassert governmental authority over labour discipline. These measures have been described as efforts to strike a balance between respecting workers’ rights and ensuring that public expenditure aligns with productivity and operational efficiency.
Samuel Aina