- Attendance log rush as salary deduction looms
- Enugu State Governor bans sit-at-home
Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, ESUT-Parklane, witnessed chaos and commotion today as employees flocked to the office of Chief Medical Director Prof. Hypcinth Onah to sign an attendance log, proving their presence at work on Mondays. The move comes as a response to the Enugu Teaching Hospital’s threat to dock 25% of the salary of any staff member who fails to comply.
According to Sahara Reporters, this measure was introduced following a meeting between various government agency heads, parastatals, and Enugu State Governor Dr. Peter Mbah. The aim is to compel workers to break the chains of the Monday sit-at-home protest prevalent in the state.
Governor Mbah had previously banned the sit-at-home exercise, which was initiated by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to protest the detention of their leader, Nnamdi Kanu, at the Department of State Services (DSS) facility since September 2021.
While IPOB has officially canceled the sit-at-home, a faction loyal to Simon Ekpa, a Finland-based self-proclaimed disciple of Kanu, continues to enforce the protest in certain parts of southeastern Nigeria.
Governor Mbah, who deems the sit-at-home illegal, insists that the protest is detrimental to the state’s economy and discourages potential investors from coming to the region.
Despite the state ban, residents have largely adhered to the sit-at-home on Mondays and other designated days by Ekpa, in an attempt to pressure the Nigerian Government to release Kanu.
To counteract the economic impact caused by the sit-at-home agitators, the governor has reportedly instructed all government institutions to maintain attendance logs for workers on Mondays and impose financial penalties on those who fail to show up.
In response to this directive, some ESUT-Parklane employees revealed to SaharaReporters that they have been instructed to report to work on Mondays and sign the attendance log located in the CMD’s office.
“If anyone arrives after 8:30 am when the register closes, they will be considered absent for the day. Moreover, those who fail to come to work on Mondays will face a 25% deduction from their salary,” one staff member explained.
Meanwhile, some employees who reside far from the hospital have resorted to sleeping at the healthcare facility on Sundays to ensure compliance with the new order. They anticipate difficulties in commuting to work on Mondays.
“To comply with the new directive, I had to spend the night at the hospital yesterday (Sunday) because I won’t be able to make it on Mondays. I live in Garrik on Agbani Road, and the government doesn’t provide transportation for workers on Mondays. Additionally, private transport operators hesitate to operate in the early morning due to security concerns,” one worker shared with journalists.