The Kwara State Government has made a U-turn on its recent directive to reduce the number of official working days for civil servants from five to three. The decision to revert to the original five-day workweek was announced by the Head of Service, Susan Modupe Oluwole, in a letter to the Heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) on June 26.
Governor Abdulrazaq Abdulrahman had initially implemented the three-day workweek in response to the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government on May 29. However, the government decided to reconsider the directive and allow for further discussions between the Federal Government and organised labour to explore more effective interventions that would mitigate the impact of the subsidy removal.
In the letter addressed to the MDAs, the Head of Service stated, “For this reason, it has become imperative to revert to the former state of affairs, where civil servants observe five working days pending when a position is reached by the government and the labour.” The directive emphasised that all categories of workers should adhere to the normal five working days per week starting from July 10, 2023.
Furthermore, the letter mentioned that workers who were not included in the initial reduction of working days, which lasted for a few days, would receive stipends as a token of appreciation.