Dare Babalola
A wave of reactions has trailed the decision of Chukwuma Charles Soludo to suspend several civil servants found absent from duty during an unannounced visit to the state secretariat, with many Nigerians on social media defending the governor’s action as necessary to restore discipline in the public service.
The order followed an unannounced inspection of the Anambra State Secretariat in Awka, on Thursday, March 26.
The governor conducted a walk-through across ministries and departments to assess punctuality, discipline, and overall work ethic within the state’s civil service.
Addressing journalists after the exercise, Soludo expressed concern over widespread lateness among workers, describing the situation as unacceptable.
The governor mandated that any worker not present at their desk by the stipulated time should face immediate suspension without pay, signalling a tougher stance on discipline within the system.
The development sparked debate online, with some critics questioning the move, while a larger number of netizens argued that such enforcement measures are long overdue.
Several social media users shared personal experiences to justify the governor’s stance, noting that absenteeism among civil servants often disrupts government operations and delays service delivery.
According to them, the absence of key personnel frequently forces citizens seeking document approvals or processing to return multiple times without success.
One Facebook user, Okonkwo Legacy, recounted having to revisit the secretariat on several occasions because the responsible official was repeatedly unavailable, describing the situation as both frustrating and inefficient.
He also pointed to what they called a “nonchalant attitude” among some public workers, which they believe contributes to poor public perception of government institutions.
He wrote, “When a Civil servant doesn’t come to work, it directly and indirectly stalls the activities in a state. You will understand better if you’ve been to that Secretariat for document approval or processing and they ask you to come the next week as the staff isn’t on seat.
“I’ve experienced this issue more than thrice, not to mention their nonchalant attitude.”
Another user, Orji Emmanuel Excel, dismissed arguments that economic hardship and rising transportation costs could justify absenteeism.
“The truth is, even if you pay civil servants 200k per month, they won’t still be coming. How can there be 10 people in an office and only 2 people are present? In some offices only 1. If they are running shift to adjust to the present economic reality,at least 5 people out of 10 should be present. That’s how it’s been done. None of their two jobs should suffer for the other. It must be balanced. I am with Soludo on this, he wrote. (Sic)
Camilus Abonyi wrote, “In this case, prof acted as a director whom his staff has been receiving salary without reporting to duties on daily basis it is very annoying, so his post actions is not wrong so that other government staff will be more serious on their duties. Then the next move from the staff that are affected is to appeal with some tangible reasons so that the penalties may be reduced.”
According to Chioma Okonkwo, “One government school teacher told me she is there to rest that she has suffered in the hands of private school owners. Government workers are not diligent to their service at all 💔”
Drawing comparisons with the private sector, some commentators noted that employees in privately owned businesses—many of whom earn less than public servants—are still required to maintain strict attendance due to direct supervision and performance expectations. They stressed that such standards should equally apply in the public sector.
“Absenteeism in government offices stalls activities both directly and indirectly. If you’ve ever had to process documents and were told to come back because the staff wasn’t on seat, you’ll understand why this action is necessary,” Victor Ashibuogwu wrote.
Another netizen, Chy Omo, argued that rather than staying away from work without notice, dissatisfied workers should formally request improved conditions or seek alternative employment.
She wrote, “You are being paid to work, if you feel the salary Is no longer enough for you to cover personal expenses, is either you request for a raise or you quit. There are several other people looking for work, you quit and give them a chance to occupy that position, while you go work in that place that pays you millions for staying at home.”
