The Anambra State Government has begun deducting salaries of civil servants who failed to report to work on Mondays, enforcing its earlier directive aimed at curbing compliance with the weekly sit-at-home observed in parts of the South-East.
The policy, announced in January, introduced a pro-rata payment system under which workers who do not show up on Mondays face salary reductions.
Several civil servants expressed shock on Tuesday after receiving their February salaries with significant deductions. At the Jerome Udoji State Secretariat in Awka, workers said the cuts were far higher than expected and, in some cases, appeared inconsistent with the number of Mondays missed.
A staff member of the Ministry of Information, who requested anonymity, said he received only N3,500 out of his monthly salary of over N80,000.
“One of my colleagues said she had N10,000 deducted. The cuts seem irregular. Some people who missed work once or twice had very heavy deductions,” he said.
Another worker reportedly received just N100 after deductions were applied.
Responding to the concerns, the Commissioner for Information, Dr. Law Mefor, confirmed that the salary reductions were deliberate and in line with the government’s directive.
He explained that workers are required to clock in and clock out on Mondays to verify attendance.
“If you came to work on Mondays but did not clock in and clock out, it means you did not come to work because there is no evidence to show that you came,” Mefor said.
The state government maintains that the measure is part of efforts to ensure discipline within the civil service and discourage participation in the sit-at-home order imposed by separatist groups.
However, affected workers have called for a review of the deductions, alleging discrepancies in the computation process.
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