On Wednesday, Chukwuma Soludo, the governor of Anambra State, pledged to end the state’s long-standing weekly sit-at-home practice.
Speaking at Public Servants Day 2022, Soludo referred to Simon Ekpa, the organizer of the previous sit-at-home, as “a mad man in Finland.” He stated that the order was only disobeyed in Anambra and that the trend would be completely eradicated by the following year.
According to him, Anambra could no longer afford to lose 20% of its public life to sitting at home, which, according to him, is already becoming commonplace in the Southeast.
“At the time we arrived, eight LGAs were completely taken over; they claimed they were unknown gunmen; in fact, they are known gunmen who are women and come from communities.
“Last week, a crazed Finnish resident claimed he would declare sit-at-home, but it was only observed in Anambra. We will end our stay-at-home lifestyle by the time you return next year.
He stated, “We must get back to work, working five days a week, we must take back Anambra from the criminals, we can’t build a prosperous Anambra when we work four days and our children go to school four days, that’s a 20% loss in productivity.”
During the celebration of Public Servants Day in 2022, the governor also rejected the nomination of a serving commissioner for the award.
During her speech, Mrs. Theodore Igwegbe, Head of Service for Anambra State, named the commissioner for lands and 32 other individuals as award nominees for their “sterling performances” in state service.
However, Soludo stated that while the HoS could nominate civil servants who are under her direct control, she could not nominate a commissioner who is a member of the executive council with her.
He thanked all of the state’s public servants, including the 21 commissioners and managing directors of parastatals and agencies, as well as those who had been nominated for awards.
He stated, “You know I am not a politician, I say it the way it is, I have told the HoS that it is not within her powers to begin to decide which commissioner did well or not.” He congratulated the Commissioner for Lands. No, that is not your responsibility.
Related News Kanu says he doesn’t like Ekpa and tells Igbo to ignore sit-at-home Sit-at-home: “You can have that for people who are under you, you cannot begin to tell me which commissioner did what, they are your colleagues, and you cannot set examination for your colleagues, it is wrong,” Ekpa says in response to a petition calling for the arrest of Simon Ekpa.
“That will cause government dysfunction; soon, they will begin running to HoS in search of awards; it is not finished,”
Soludo stated that his administration is focused on making Anambra a prosperous and livable homeland and expressed his gratitude to the state’s public servants for supporting the All Progressives Grand Alliance in the governorship election in 2021.
He informed state public servants of the suspension of Christmas rice, which had been the practice under Chief Willie Obiano’s previous administration.
He said that the review was informed by the inflationary trend that had caused the price of a 25-kg bag of rice to rise from about N8,000 to N21,000 and the need to give workers options for what to buy based on their various needs. He also replaced Christmas rice with a monetary gift of N15,000 for everyone, including retirees.
In addition, Soludo announced a salary increase for 10% of state employees beginning next year to cushion the impact of general inflation, which is decreasing income value.
In order to lessen the impact of the current economic climate, the House Speaker urged Soludo to consider implementing the national minimum wage fully throughout the state and conducting an upward review of salaries.
She pleaded with the governor to approve and fund the Civil Service Commission’s efforts to conduct 2021 and 2022 promotion interviews before July 1, 2023, as well as those for 2023.
She complained about the excessive politicization of Anambra’s public service, excessive government intervention, and the absence of performance measurement standards.