The Governor of Anambra State, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, has directed that civil servants who were not at their duty posts by 10 a.m. should face suspension without pay.
The directive followed an unannounced inspection carried out by the governor at the state secretariat in Awka on Thursday.
Soludo moved from one office to another to assess workers’ punctuality across various ministries and departments. After the visit, he addressed journalists and expressed concern over the number of staff who were absent at the time.
He said, “I walked in, office by office, and there are quite a significant number of workers who are not yet at work as of 10 am. This is unacceptable.
“The ‘bad eggs’ will be shipped out because Anambra is an A-state and cannot afford an inefficient civil service.
Firm measures will be taken to check these attitudes in the civil service.”
The governor described his findings as a mixture of positive and negative outcomes. He praised diligent workers who reported early and showed commitment. He also criticised those who were absent or arrived late.
He warned that acts of indiscipline and poor work attitude would no longer be tolerated. He added that his administration remained focused on building a workforce that delivers results.
Soludo noted that the government had improved infrastructure and working conditions at the secretariat. He urged workers to match these efforts with dedication and productivity.
During the inspection, the governor interacted with staff to better understand the work culture within the system. He commended those he described as “good people” in the service, noting that their consistency supports the state’s development plans.
On the issue of lateness and absenteeism, he said, “Those who fail to meet time-keeping standards will be pinned off.
“The era of lacklustre performance and entitlement in the civil service has come to an end.
“We are committed to evolving a civil service that is agile, effective, and efficient.
“To achieve this, the administration is prioritising three key pillars of reform: deployment of technology – transitioning towards digital workflows to enhance speed and transparency.
“Effective supervision and evaluation – implementing rigorous performance tracking to ensure accountability at all levels and physical infrastructure improvements – sustaining the modernisation of the secretariat to provide a conducive work environment.”
He explained that the visit sends a strong message about the need for a complete overhaul of the state’s civil service. According to him, the integration of technology and strict discipline will help reposition the system for better service delivery to the people of the state.
