*Workers Turn Up For Duties
*IPOB: No Gov Has Lawful Power To Compel Free Citizens
ANAMBRA State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, on Monday, January 26, made good his threat to sanction traders and markets that continue to close on Mondays for business, as well as its worker who stayed away from their duty posts, in adherence to the sit-at-home declared across the Southeast by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), led by Nnamdi Kanu.
In compliance with the directive to report for work on Mondays or face deductions from their salaries, state government workers resumed duties in large numbers, with the state secretariat full of activities and schools across the state open, unlike in the past, when the workers stayed away.
For flouting the directive, Soludo ordered the closure of Onitsha Main Market for one week over traders’ failure to open for business.
While Onitsha Main Market remained shut, other markets in the state, such as Nkwo Nnewi, Eke Awka and Ekwulobia, were partially open, for fear of attacks by miscreants as a reason.
The state government, had, in a statement signed by the Secretary of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Mgbemena Loveline, on behalf of Board, had earlier announced termination of the sit-at-home in the state “with immediate effect,” warning that errant civil servants who flouted the directive would either receive 20 per cent of their salary or forfeit it entirely.
According to the statement: “Sequel to the state exco retreat held on January 21, 2026, presided by the Executive Governor, Charles Chukwuma Soludo, I am directed to inform you that the state government has directed, and also as a decision, that the protracted Monday sit-at-home in Anambra State has been abolished with immediate effect.
“By this directive, any staff, both tutorial and non-tutorial, who fail to attend to school or the office on Monday will either receive 20 per cent of his/her salary or forfeit it entirely,” the statement partly read.
“You are to bring the content of this letter to the notice of all staff under you and ensure adequate compliance.
“Please be properly guided, as the above is the executive decision of the state government.”
The government also announced that from next month, salaries of civil servants in the state will be paid on a pro-rata basis to discourage absenteeism on Mondays.
Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, said workers who fail to report for duty would have their pay adjusted accordingly, saying: “The thing has to be done. Four years is enough. The economic loss of the sit-at-home runs into trillions of naira since it started.”
Mefor told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday, January 24, that the decision was taken at the end of a State Executive Council (SEC) retreat on Friday in Awka, the state capital, to curb persistent Monday absenteeism among public servants.
He stated that the government had observed that many civil servants continued to stay away from work on Mondays over the last four years, despite improvements in the security situation in the state.
“Some workers have taken advantage of the situation, knowing they would receive full salaries regardless of attendance.
“Although this amounts to absenteeism punishable under the civil service rules, the government opted for pro-rata salary payment.”
He said the policy would require civil servants who skip work on Mondays to forfeit the pay for that day, a less severe option than the disciplinary measures under the civil service rules.
Mefor added that the government had introduced attendance registers requiring workers to clock in at resumption and clock out at the close of work on Mondays to ensure compliance.
The continued absence of workers on Mondays, he explained, had affected government productivity and contributed to economic losses in the state, adding: “Every workday lost translates to stalled government business and loss of revenue.”
The commissioner stated that revenue-generating agencies, including the Anambra Internal Revenue Service and other ministries, departments and parastatals, were among those affected by Monday’s absenteeism.
Mefor said the government ruled out shifting official workdays to Saturdays, describing such an option as impractical and an implicit acceptance of the sit-at-home order, noting that the state would not continue to encourage markets and the informal sector to operate on Mondays while its own workforce stayed away from duty.
Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Christian Aburime, in a statement, said the closure of the market was due to “defiance of the market leadership to open, against government directive,” which was aimed at restoring normal commercial activity in the state.
Soludo vowed that the state would not allow individuals or groups to undermine public order and economic activity, adding: “The government cannot stand by while a few individuals willfully undermine public safety and disregard official directives meant to restore normalcy, this is plain economic sabotage.
“You either decide that you are going to trade here or you go elsewhere. I am very serious about this.”
Another media aide to the governor, Ejimofor Opara, said the sit-at-home was harmful to the state’s economy, noting: “The position of the state government is clear and unambiguous, and that is the height of economic sabotage.
“If you look at the humongous economic loss during each Monday sit-at-home, you will discover that it is a rip off on the economy of the state and that of the business community.”
Soludo warned that the market could face a longer shutdown if non-compliance continues by next Monday.
Security operatives, including Police and military personnel, who were deployed to enforce the closure, turned away traders who attempted to access the market.
IPOB, however, rejected the government’s position, insisting the sit-at-home remains a voluntary and peaceful protest.
Its spokesman, Emma Powerful, said: “No governor has the lawful power to compel free citizens to open their businesses or move about against their will.”
He stated that attempts to sanction residents observing the sit-at-home order was akin to an infringement on their rights, even as he cautioned against enforcement.
The shutdown had adversely affected the entire zone, with states lamenting that the order was undermining revenue generation and budget implementation, and business owners counting their losses.
Recall that in April 2022, Soludo declared an end to the sit-at-home in the state, saying the order would no longer be observed and offering amnesty to youths still in hideouts, as part of measures to restore peace and normal economic life.
He also said a peace and reconciliation committee would be set up to address challenges and engage with federal authorities on behalf of detained persons.
Recently, the governor said the exercise had largely reduced and those still observing it do so by personal choice rather than due to insecurity, as the state was now secure, urging residents to take advantage of the improved security to resume normal business activities.
But these had failed to convince residents, especially traders, most of who continued to observe the sit-at-home for feaar of the unknown (gunmen).
