Anambra State will implement pro-rata salary payments for civil servants starting February 2026, targeting chronic Monday absenteeism from the long-running sit-at-home order, Information Commissioner Dr. Law Mefor announced Saturday.

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Speaking at an Awka briefing after the Executive Council’s end-of-tenure retreat, Mefor said improved security and transport have eliminated excuses for the four-year disruption, which cost the state trillions in lost revenue. “Workers enjoyed full pay despite staying away; now, no work means no pay for that day, calculated over 24 working days,” he stated.

Compliance measures include mandatory Monday clock-in forms, with markets urged to reopen fully amid bolstered security. This builds on a January 22 executive order docking 20% pay from teachers absent on Mondays.

Mefor warned that lost Mondays cripple revenue collection and productivity, rejecting alternatives like Saturday shifts as capitulation to agitators.

As AI adoption accelerates across Nigeria, leaders at the “AI in Action Now” conference 2026 have called for a balance between rapid innovation and strict regulatory governance. The event, held at the Lagos Oriental Hotel, highlighted both the doggedness of Nigerian builders and the risks of unregulated data usage.

Dotun Adeoye, Co-Founder of AI Nigeria, raised alarms over “Shadow AI”, a trend where employees upload sensitive official documents to public AI platforms. He praised the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) for its recent aggressive stance, including multi-million-dollar fines against major banks and social media brands.

“Innovation without governance is dangerous. The regulator now has the job of educating players. We are working in partnership with them to ensure players don’t just get fined, but actually understand how to protect data locally rather than storing it abroad, ” Adeoye noted.

Addressing issues of lack of infrastructure to carry AI adoption, Conference Convener Debola Ibiyode admitted that while Nigeria lacks the traditional foundation for AI adoption, the tech community cannot afford to wait.

“The simple answer is we don’t have the infrastructure, but Nigeria has never really had infrastructure to drive anything, and we still thrive, ” Iboyode said, encouraging students and builders to look beyond current limitations. “Once we start to build based on what we have now, it will encourage those who need to provide the infrastructure to do their part. The world will not wait for us,” she insisted.

To bridge this gap, she highlighted the AI Foundry Africa, an incubator designed to mentor ideas into market-ready products.

Meanwhile, speaking to journalists on the sidelines, Biodun Ogunleye, the Lagos State Commissioner of Energy and Mineral Resources, echoed the sentiment that the government’s role is to facilitate the right environment through partnership. He emphasized that data generated from interactions with the government must have long-term value.

“We must ensure that in all facets from production to interaction with government, the tools required to ensure data has value are appreciated,” Ogunleye stated.

He concluded that through private-sector collaboration, the government can focus on its primary functions while leveraging AI to ensure the nation aspires for the future.

About 35 million Nigerians face acute hunger risks in 2026, including three million children battling severe malnutrition, the United Nations has warned, attributing the crisis to collapsing global aid budgets and escalating violence in the northeast.

UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Mohamed Malick Fall disclosed this on Thursday during the launch of the 2026 humanitarian plan in Abuja, noting that the traditional foreign-led aid model proves unsustainable amid Nigeria’s escalating needs.

He highlighted dire conditions in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, where over 4,000 people perished in the first eight months of 2025 from surging suicide bombings and attacks—equalling the entire previous year’s toll.

The UN now targets $516 million to deliver lifesaving aid to 2.5 million people this year, a sharp drop from 3.6 million in 2025 and half of prior levels, forcing prioritisation of only the most critical interventions.

Fall stressed, “These are not statistics. These numbers represent lives, futures and Nigerians,” as shortfalls last year compelled the World Food Programme to halt support for over 300,000 children after resources dried up in December.

Yet, Fall acknowledged Nigeria’s increasing national ownership, including local funding for lean-season food assistance and proactive flood early-warning systems, signalling a shift toward self-reliant crisis response.