The Anambra State Government has unveiled a new attendance-based salary system for public servants in a bid to halt the persistent Monday sit-at-home observed across the state.
Under the policy, which will commence in February 2026, civil servants’ salaries will be calculated on a pro-rata basis, meaning payments will reflect the number of days actually worked.
The State Commissioner for Information, Dr Law Mefor, announced the development while addressing journalists in Awka on Saturday. He explained that the decision was taken at the end-of-tenure retreat of the Anambra State Executive Council (ANSEC).
Mefor said the retreat assessed the performance of Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration over the past four years and outlined key priorities for the incoming term, which begins on March 17, 2026.
He observed that many public servants had routinely stayed away from work on Mondays throughout the period of the sit-at-home, often attributing their absence to insecurity and transport-related difficulties.
“The retreat acknowledged that while these factors existed in the past, they no longer do,” Mefor said. “They are therefore no longer valid reasons for absenteeism.”
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According to him, the continued observance of the sit-at-home by workers was largely encouraged by the fact that salaries were paid irrespective of attendance.
“The anomaly has to stop,” he said. “Ordinarily, absenteeism of this nature could attract dismissal under civil service rules. However, the government has decided on a more measured approach by introducing pro-rata payment.”
Under the new arrangement, any worker who fails to report for duty on Mondays will forfeit the corresponding portion of their monthly salary. Attendance will be tracked through a clock-in and clock-out system to be deployed across ministries, departments and agencies.
Mefor noted that regular absenteeism on Mondays had taken a toll on government efficiency and internally generated revenue.
He added that the pro-rata payment system was introduced to ensure equity, improve productivity and promote responsible public expenditure.
“We cannot abandon Mondays and make Saturdays working days. That would mean yielding to the sit-at-home and becoming the only state working on Saturdays, which would be unreasonable,” he said.
The commissioner further disclosed that the state government was engaging market leaders to facilitate the reopening of markets on Mondays, alongside enhanced security measures aimed at restoring traders’ confidence.
Explaining the salary calculation, Mefor said a worker’s monthly pay would be divided by the 24 officially recognised working days to determine daily earnings.
“The economic losses from the sit-at-home run into trillions of naira, according to an international firm,”
“Four years is enough. This decision has been taken, and implementation has already begun,” he said.
