The Anambra State government has announced plans to commence pro rata salary payments to civil servants from February 2026 as part of measures to end the lingering Monday sit-at-home.

The decision was reached at the end of the tenure retreat of the State Executive Council (SEC) held on Friday in Awka.

During the retreat, members reviewed the activities of Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration over the last four years and outlined priorities for the new term beginning March 17, 2026.

The Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, disclosed this while briefing journalists on Saturday in Awka.

Mr Mefor said the retreat observed that for the past four years, many public and civil servants have consistently stayed away from work on Mondays.

He noted, however, that the council agreed that those challenges no longer existed, rendering Monday’s absenteeism unjustifiable.

“Although such conduct amounted to absenteeism punishable under the civil service rules, the government opted for a less drastic approach by introducing pro-rata salary payment,” he said.

According to him, under the arrangement, workers who fail to report for duty on Mondays would forfeit the portion of their salaries attributable to that day.

He said a mechanism has already been put in place to ensure compliance.

“This includes the introduction of attendance forms that will enable workers to clock in at the start of work and clock out at closing time on Mondays,” he said.

Mr Mefor added that any workday lost translates into stalled government business and lost revenue.

“Agencies such as the Anambra Internal Revenue Service and other ministries, departments, and parastatals are critical to revenue generation.

“Their absence from work on Mondays resulted in significant financial losses to the state,” Mefor said.

He explained that the decision to adopt pro rata payment was guided by the need to ensure fairness, efficiency, and sustainability in public expenditure.

The commissioner ruled out shifting official workdays to Saturdays, describing it as impractical and an implicit surrender to the sit-at-home order.

He said the state would no longer encourage markets and the informal sector to operate on Mondays while its own workforce stayed away from duty.

Mr Mefor disclosed that the government was already engaging market leaders to persuade traders to resume business on Mondays.

He added that security measures were also being strengthened to boost public confidence.

Regarding pro rata payments, Mr Mefor said workers’ monthly salaries would be divided by 24 official working days to determine the daily rate.

He added that the economic losses arising from the sit-at-home had run into trillions of naira over the years, based on a report by an international firm.

(NAN)