Soludo civil servants suspension begins as Anambra governor orders sanctions over lateness and absenteeism in Awka secretariat

Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State on Thursday ordered the immediate suspension of civil servants not at their duty posts by 10:00am following a surprise inspection of the state secretariat in Awka.

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The directive was issued after the governor conducted an on-the-spot assessment across ministries and departments, where he discovered a significant number of workers absent from their offices during official hours.

Addressing journalists after the visit, Soludo described the situation as unacceptable and announced a strict enforcement of disciplinary measures.

“I walked in, office by office, and there are quite a significant number of workers who are not yet at work as of 10am. This is unacceptable,” he said.

The governor stated that any worker not present at their duty post by the stipulated time should be suspended without pay, warning that persistent indiscipline would no longer be tolerated.

He characterised his findings as “the good, the bad and the ugly,” commending diligent staff while criticising those exhibiting poor work ethic and chronic absenteeism.

Soludo emphasised that the reform drive was aimed at building a disciplined and high-performing workforce, describing the move as a decisive step towards restoring efficiency in the state’s bureaucracy. He stressed that “bad eggs” would be removed to protect the integrity of the system.

During the inspection, the governor engaged directly with workers to assess workplace culture and reiterated that the era of laxity in the civil service had come to an end.

He warned that those who fail to meet timekeeping standards would face firm consequences.

Soludo also highlighted ongoing reforms anchored on technology deployment, enhanced supervision and evaluation, and improved infrastructure.

He noted that the government had invested significantly in upgrading facilities at the secretariat and expected workers to reciprocate with dedication and productivity.

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The intervention marks a powerful push by the administration to reposition the civil service as an efficient and results-driven institution capable of delivering the dividends of democracy to the people of Anambra State.