Anambra govt abolishes Monday sit-at-home, orders schools to open or face salary cuts

 

The Anambra State government has formally abolished the long-standing Monday sit-at-home practice, issuing an executive order mandating all schools to operate on Mondays and warning of salary sanctions for defiant staff.

Under the directive, any teacher or non-tutorial staff who fails to report to school or office on Mondays risks losing 20 per cent of their salary or forfeiting it entirely.

Advertisement

The order was conveyed in a letter dated January 22, 2026, signed by Loveline Mgbemena, board secretary of the Anambra State Universal Basic Education Board (ASUBEB).

Titled “Executive Order on Termination of Monday Sit-at-Home in Anambra State,” the letter was addressed to permanent board members, education officers in charge of the 21 local government areas, zonal directors and departmental heads.

Mgbemena directed senior officials to circulate the order to all staff under their supervision and ensure “adequate compliance”.

Advertisement

According to the letter, the decision followed a State Executive Council retreat held on January 21, 2026, and presided over by Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo.

“Sequel to the State Exco retreat held on January 21, 2026 presided by the State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, I am directed to inform you that the state government has decided that the protracted Monday sit-at-home in Anambra State has been abolished with immediate effect,” the letter read.

It added: “By this directive, any staff both tutorial and non-tutorial that fails to attend school or office on Monday will either receive 20 per cent of his/her salary or forfeit it entirely.”

Advertisement

The board secretary described the directive as an “executive decision of the state government” and urged strict enforcement across all education offices.

The Monday sit-at-home practice in Anambra and other parts of the South-East began on August 9, 2021, after the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) declared a weekly shutdown to demand the release of its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

At the time, IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, ordered residents to restrict movement and directed schools, markets and motor parks to shut down every Monday.

Although IPOB later announced a suspension of the order, fear of violent attacks and reprisals has continued to keep schools, businesses and public offices largely closed on Mondays in the state.

The Soludo administration has repeatedly insisted that normal academic and economic activities must resume, arguing that the sit-at-home has disrupted governance, deepened poverty and severely affected education.