AMIDST enforcement of the sit-at-home order in most Southeastern states of Nigeria, the governor of Anambra State Charles Chukwuma Soludo has directed civil servants in the state to always report to work on Mondays or face sanctions.
The sit-at-home-on-Monday directive to workers in the southeast was imposed by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to protest the continuous detention and trial of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, by the federal government.
The IPOB had in a statement in November through its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, confirmed calling off the sit-at-home order.
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However, many civil servants in the region still have the fear of attacks from IPOB members and have not been reporting to work.
In some parts of Anambra State, some institutions, including schools and banks, have adopted Saturday as a working day as a replacement for Monday.
But Soludo has ordered a return to the normal order. The governor, in a statement on Friday, issued through the state’s Head of Service, Theodora Igwegbe, ordered workers to always ensure they are at their duty posts on Mondays.
Part of the memo, dated March 25, 2022, reads: “Following the need to reposition the service for better performance and productivity, His Excellency, the governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has directed that, henceforth, all public servants should report at their places of work every Monday like every other weekday.
“Consequently, absence from work on Monday, or any other workday without any approval will be viewed as serious misconduct, which will attract appropriate sanctions. This directive takes immediate effect.”
Soludo had last year lamented the continued boycott of work on Mondays in the Southeast, saying that the zone was losing an estimated N19.6 billion every Monday.
During his inaugural speech as governor two weeks ago, he had extended an olive branch to all armed groups, saying he was ready to engage them in a roundtable discussion.
He expressed concerns that many criminals now hide under freedom-fighting to perpetuate criminality.
Harrison Edeh is a journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, always determined to drive advocacy for good governance through holding public officials and businesses accountable.