Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has directed that public servants in the state would now work from Mondays to Wednesdays, and use Thursdays and Fridays for agriculture (farming).
The government also introduced a policy tagged “Back to land for agriculture” to enable the state engage and invest heavily in agriculture.
Governor Okorocha made these known when traditional rulers from the state operating under the aegis of Royal fathers in Agriculture paid him a courtesy vivit at the Government House Owerri on Monday, August 1, 2016.
He said, the State Executive Council has given approval to the new policy.
However, the governor exempted public servants on essential duties like the teachers, nurses, doctors and people involved in Internally Generated Revenue drive. Political appointees are also exempted from the three-days working periods.
The governor added “we shall try this programme for the period of one year, starting from 1st of August 2016 and hopefully this will help. Let me make this emphasis before it is misconstrued or misrepresented, that this does not in any way affect the salaries of the workers. Workers will get their full salaries as been the practice. So the policy does not mean that there will be a cut in salary rather let us now find a way for our workers to supplement their salaries”.
He continued “for this reason the issue of annual leave and casual leave is hereby cancelled. Resumption time for work has changed from 8am to 7.30am in the morning and ends by 4pm. Any worker that is not found on his or her seat between 7.30am and 4pm on the days concerned will be summarily dismissed.
“I also want to announce that government has appealed to families and those who organize burials on Mondays to Wednesdays to please change and have their burials on Saturdays so that we can concentrate on the government’s work and on the agricultural programme.”