The Anambra State Government has banned Monday school closures, ordering all education workers to resume immediately or risk losing 20% of their salaries.
This is according to a circular by Anambra State Universal Basic Education Board dated January 22, 2026, signed by the Board Secretary, Hon. Mgbemena Loveline E.
The directive was issued following the State Executive Council retreat held on Tuesday, January 21, 2026, and presided over by Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo.
What the state said
The state government said the decision marked the end of what it described as the protracted Monday sit-at-home in Anambra State.
According to the directive, all staff, both teaching and non-teaching, are expected to report to 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.
Backstory
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.
What you should know
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.
