Sit-At-Home Showdown: Governor Issues Fresh Order on IPOB

The Anambra State Government has implemented a ban on the closure of schools on Mondays, mandating that all education workers return to their duties immediately or face a salary deduction of 20%.

This announcement was formalized in a circular issued by the Anambra State Universal Basic Education Board on January 22, 2026, and was signed by Board Secretary Hon. Mgbemena Loveline E.

This directive follows a State Executive Council retreat held on January 21, 2026, led by Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo. The government described this decision as a definitive move to end the prolonged Monday sit-at-home practice in Anambra State.

According to the new directive, all staff members—both teaching and non-teaching—are required to be present at their offices and schools every Monday without exception.

“By this directive, any staff, both tutorial and non-tutorial, who fail to attend to school or office on Monday will either receive 20% of his/her salary or forfeit it entirely,” they stated

ASUBEB directed permanent board members, education officers across the 21 local government education authorities, zonal directors, and departmental directors at the board’s headquarters in Awka to ensure full compliance.

All supervising officers were instructed to communicate the directive to staff under their authority and enforce adherence accordingly.

The board stressed that the directive represents an executive decision of the Anambra State Government and must be treated as such.

The Monday sit-at-home order in Anambra and the wider South-East region began in August 2021 when the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) announced that residents should stay at home every Monday as a civil protest to pressure the Nigerian government for the release of IPOB’s detained leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who was facing trial on terrorism-related charges.

The leadership of IPOB later suspended the mandatory weekly sit-at-home in late 2021, saying it would observe sit-at-home only on specific days tied to Kanu’s court appearances.

However, the practice persisted in many communities, largely because pro-Biafran factions and some armed elements continued to enforce it.

A report by SBM Intelligence says the sit-at-home shutdowns enforced in southeastern Nigeria since August 2021 have inflicted massive economic damage, with losses estimated at about N7.6 trillion over four years.

For the past four years plus, teaching time has been lost and academic calendars disrupted as repeated Monday closures force schools to suspend lessons, reduce contact hours, and compress syllabuses into fewer days.

The state governments have repeatedly directed civil servants to resume work on Mondays and used public announcements to encourage residents and traders to ignore sit-at-home directives.

Security agencies have also increased patrols and community outreach to reassure the public and prevent violent enforcement.

However, compliance remains uneven, with some areas reopening while others continue to observe the sit-at-home due to fear and safety concerns.