…describes action as disciplinary measures aimed at enforcing attendance and ending sit-at-home.
Awka, Anambra State — The iNews Times | Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State has slashed salaries of civil servants who failed to report to work on Mondays, following sit-at-home orders issued by separatist groups. The governor had earlier warned in January that civil servants absent on Mondays would be paid on a pro-rata basis, effectively docking salaries for unexcused absences. The February payroll revealed shocking deductions, with some workers receiving as little as ₦3,500 from original salaries exceeding ₦80,000, sparking tension at the Jerome Udoji State Secretariat in Awka.
At the secretariat, civil servants expressed frustration over the drastic pay cuts, noting that some deductions appeared disproportionate to the actual number of days missed. One worker from the Ministry of Information, who preferred anonymity, said, “One of my colleagues received only ₦3,500 out of a salary of over ₦80,000. Another said her pay was slashed by ₦10,000. The deductions are irregular, some people missed work only once or twice yet had huge cuts.”
Commissioner for Information, Dr. Law Mefor, confirmed the deductions, describing them as disciplinary measures aimed at enforcing attendance and ending sit-at-home compliance issues. “The salary cut is a punishment for failure to come to work on Mondays. Employees are expected to clock in and clock out to prove attendance. Failure to do so is treated as absence,” Mefor said, adding that the pro-rata system is intended to enforce accountability and discipline.
The move has ignited debates among civil servants, with many arguing that the deductions were excessive and poorly computed. While the Soludo administration maintains the measures are necessary to ensure workforce compliance, the February pay saga underscores tensions between government policy and employee expectations amid ongoing sit-at-home protests.
