Sit-At-Home: Uzodimma Threatens Imo Civil Servants

Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma has mandated that any civil servant absent on Mondays will forfeit their salaries.

Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, revealed the governor’s directive in a statement issued on Tuesday.

The statement partly read: “The Government of Imo State has observed with dismay that some civil servants, for inexplicable reasons, absent themselves from duties, especially on Mondays.

“This is unacceptable, moreover, since such civil servants neither obtain permission nor have authorisation of their superiors to abstain from duty, thereby making their conduct illegal and unprofessional.

“Consequently, the government will henceforth view such rascal conduct as a direct challenge to its authority, which will attract sanctions.

“Going forward, the governor of Imo State, Sen Hope Uzodimma, has directed that any civil servant who absents himself/herself from duty on Mondays or any other day for that matter will lose his/her salary in addition to other punishments that may be recommended against him/her.

“Consequently, permanent secretaries and heads of parastatals and heads of agencies of government are hereby directed to immediately commence daily roll calls of workers to ensure that those who disobey this order suffer the consequences.”

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), in August 2021, introduced sit-at-home order every Monday across the South-east to pressure the Nigerian government to release its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who is standing trial for alleged treason at the Federal High Court, Abuja.

Despite the separatist group’s amendment to restrict the order to Kanu’s court appearance days, many residents in the South-east, including Imo, still adhere to the Monday sit-at-home order, primarily due to fear.