EDITORIAL: Soludo’s Anti-Lateness Policy for Anambra Civil Servants Needs a Human Face

By Tony Okafor

The recent decision by Anambra State Governor, Charles Chukwuma Soludo, to suspend civil servants over lateness has ignited intense public debate. While the objective of restoring discipline within the state workforce is understandable—and indeed necessary—the method adopted raises serious questions about fairness, context, and sustainability.

No serious institution thrives without discipline. Indeed, punctuality is often described as the soul of business. Yet governance is not exercised in a vacuum. Policies—particularly punitive ones—must reflect the lived realities of the people they affect.

A significant number of Anambra’s civil servants do not reside in Awka, the state capital where most ministries and agencies are located.

Crippling rents in Awka and its environs have forced many workers to remain in their hometowns and villages, commuting daily from places such as Onitsha, Ekwulobia, Umunze, Ayamelum, Nnewi, and even more distant areas. Some even commute from Enugu, where the cost of living is perceived to be more manageable.

For these workers, lateness is often less a matter of indiscipline than a symptom of systemic hardship.

It is important to recall that during the administration of Willie Obiano, efforts were made—albeit limited—to ease this burden. The “Willie Is Working” buses provided some relief, transporting workers from major towns like Onitsha and Ekwulobia to Awka at relatively affordable cost.

Though imperfect, the initiative acknowledged a key truth: productivity is closely tied to infrastructure and worker welfare.

Today, those structural supports have largely faded, while economic pressures have intensified. Transport costs have soared. Housing remains unaffordable for the average civil servant. Salaries, in many cases, are insufficient to meet even basic needs, including feeding.

Under such conditions, enforcing discipline without addressing underlying constraints risks punishing victims of circumstance rather than correcting willful inefficiency.

This is not to excuse unprofessional conduct. A more relaxed attitude toward official duties has, over time, crept into segments of the civil service. This calls for sustained reorientation, training, and a renewed emphasis on professionalism. Workers must also take responsibility for their roles; public service is a trust, not an entitlement.

However, discipline must go hand in hand with support/welfare. If the Soludo administration is to achieve meaningful reform, it must adopt a more holistic approach.

Investment in affordable housing within or near Awka is no longer optional—it is essential. A functional, subsidized mass transit system would drastically reduce the burden of commuting. Improved remuneration and incentives would not only boost morale but also reduce the economic desperation that undermines productivity.

Comparisons with Lagos, where workers endure long and punishing commutes, are instructive but incomplete. Replicating hardship is not a strategy for progress.

Ultimately, the issue transcends lateness or absenteeism. It is about the kind of civil service Anambra State seeks to build—and the conditions required to sustain it. Enforcement alone cannot deliver excellence; it must be complemented by empathy, welfare and foresight.
Governor Soludo’s intentions may be rooted in a desire for efficiency, but good intentions must be matched with balanced policy.

A government that demands the best from its workers must also create an environment that enables them to give their best.

Anything less risks turning a necessary reform into an avoidable injustice.

Nemo dat quod non habet—no one gives what they do not have.