The Anambra State government has announced the commencement of pro-rata salary payments for workers across the state as part of efforts to end the Monday sit-at-home, saying that effective February 2026, civil servants’ salaries will be paid according to pro-rata.
The state Commissioner for Information, Dr. Law Mefor, disclosed this to journalists in Awka on Saturday, adding that the initiative was decided during the end-of-tenure retreat of the Anambra State Executive Council, held in Awka.
Mefor said the retreat was held to review the activities of Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration over the past four years and to craft a better focus for the new term commencing on March 17, 2026.
The commissioner noted that, for the past four years, Anambra public and civil servants had often stayed away from work on Mondays due to the sit-at-home, citing insecurity and lack of transportation facilities.
He said, “The retreat acknowledged that even though these factors existed in the past, they no longer exist, making them invalid reasons for absenteeism from work.
“The workers were simply enjoying the sit-at-home because they know that whether they come to work or not, they will be paid salaries.
“The ANSEC retreat has decided to put a stop to the anomaly. 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 that it is paying pro-rata from this February. So if you don’t want to lose your salary for that Monday, then you come to work.
“The mechanism is already in place and forms are being devised, so that workers can clock in on Monday morning and clock out at the close of work.”
Mefor also emphasised that civil servants’ absence from work on Mondays negatively impacts the productivity of the state government.
“Any day civil servants fail to come to work, it means that the state government’s business will stagnate and, by implication, the economy of the state will stagnate. Income accrueable to government will be lost and there’s no guarantee that such losses can be recovered.
“For example, 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 monies and impedes the progress of work.”
He added, “This is part of the reason for the decision to pay pro-rata; it is to ensure that every naira spent reflects fairness, efficiency, and sustainability.
“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 again, we will be the only state working on Saturdays in Nigeria, and that will be absurd.
“So, it is only reasonable to start with this pro-rata payment to get the workers to resume on Mondays.
“The state is losing so much due to the sit-at-home and the government cannot be asking the markets and other informal sectors to show up on Monday when its own workforce has refused to come,” he added.
According to Mefor, negotiations are ongoing to get market leaders to open markets on Mondays, while the state government is also boosting security to build traders’ confidence to operate on Mondays.
On how the pro-rata payment will be calculated, the commissioner said the 24 working days of the month will be used to divide each worker’s salary to determine what they will earn at the end of the month.
“The thing has to be done. Four years is enough. The economic loss of the sit-at-home runs into trillions since it started, according to an international firm.
“It is a decision the state government has taken and the implementation is already on,” Mefor concluded.
Punch Online had earlier reported that the Anambra State government issued an Executive Order abolishing the closure of schools on Mondays over sit-at-home, warning that any teacher or non-tutorial staff who fails to comply will either receive 20 per cent of their salary or forfeit it entirely.
This was conveyed in a letter dated January 22, 2026, and signed by the Board Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Board, Loveline Mgbemena. Mgbemena directed all permanent board members, officers in charge of the 21 local government areas, zonal directors, and departmental directors to bring the content of the letter to the notice of all staff under them and ensure compliance.
