The Anambra State Government has announced the introduction of pro-rata salary payments for civil servants as part of measures to end the longstanding Monday sit-at-home across the state.
The policy, which takes effect from February 2026, will see public servants paid strictly in proportion to the number of days worked, according to the state Commissioner for Information, Dr Law Mefor.
Speaking to journalists in Awka on Saturday, Mefor said the decision was taken at the end-of-tenure retreat of the Anambra State Executive Council (ANSEC), where the Soludo administration reviewed its four-year performance and set priorities for its new term beginning March 17, 2026.
Mefor explained that for the past four years, many public and civil servants had stayed away from work on Mondays, citing insecurity and lack of transportation linked to the sit-at-home order. However, he said those conditions no longer exist.
“The retreat acknowledged that these factors are no longer valid reasons for absenteeism,” Mefor said. “Workers were simply enjoying the sit-at-home because they knew they would be paid whether they came to work or not.”
He noted that while absenteeism could ordinarily attract disciplinary action, including dismissal under civil service rules, the government opted instead for pro-rata payments.
“We are not following that route. From February, salaries will be paid on a pro-rata basis. If you do not want to lose your salary for a Monday, then you must come to work,” he said.
According to Mefor, mechanisms are already being put in place to enforce the policy, including attendance forms and a clock-in, clock-out system for Mondays.
The commissioner stressed that persistent absence from work on Mondays has significantly hurt government productivity and the state’s economy.
“Any day civil servants fail to come to work, government business stagnates and the economy suffers. Revenue is lost, and there is no guarantee it can be recovered,” he said, citing agencies such as the Anambra Internal Revenue Service and other MDAs.
He added that the pro-rata policy is aimed at ensuring fairness, efficiency, and sustainability in the use of public funds.
“We cannot abandon Mondays and make Saturdays working days. That would mean yielding to those who imposed the sit-at-home and would make Anambra the only state working on Saturdays, which is absurd,” Mefor said.
He explained that the government cannot continue urging markets and the informal sector to operate on Mondays while its own workforce stays away from work.
Mefor disclosed that discussions are ongoing with market leaders to reopen markets on Mondays, while security measures are being strengthened to restore traders’ confidence.
On salary computation, he said each worker’s monthly pay would be divided by the 24 official working days to determine earnings based on attendance.
“The decision has been taken and implementation has already begun,” Mefor said, adding that the economic losses from the sit-at-home over the past four years run into trillions of naira, according to an international firm.
