Reported By Mary Udezue | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Awka, Anambra State — Tension is rising in Anambra State as nearly 200 former staff members of the Anambra Internal Revenue Service (AIRS) have threatened to stage a protest on March 17, 2026, coinciding with the scheduled swearing‑in ceremony of Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo for his second term in office. The group, made up largely of dismissed revenue officers and support staff, says it will gather at Aroma Junction near Ekwueme Square, the venue for the governor’s inauguration, to voice its grievances over what it describes as unjust and unlawful retrenchment by the state government.
The dismissed workers argue that their termination followed a compulsory strategic tax collection examination organized by the state government in collaboration with PricewaterhouseCoopers, which many failed to pass. They contend that the retrenchment violates provisions of the new tax law, which grants revenue agencies the autonomy to manage the training and retraining of their personnel without external interference.
An internal memo circulated by AIRS on February 18, 2026, and issued through the agency’s Administration Department, formally notified affected employees of their retrenchment. The memo, signed by the agency’s Admin/HR official on behalf of the Chairman and Chief Executive of AIRS, directed dismissed workers to surrender all official items, including identity cards and work materials, to the Administration/HR Department by February 19, 2026. The memo warned that failure to comply could result in sanctions or legal action.
Frustration among the dismissed staff has grown since the memo’s release. Several affected individuals, speaking privately, appealed directly to Governor Soludo to intervene and reverse what they termed a misuse of governmental authority. They argued that PricewaterhouseCoopers had no legal mandate to administer the examination or influence personnel decisions within the revenue agency.
Critics of the retrenchment argue that requiring an externally administered exam as a condition for continued employment, and enforcing mass dismissals based on its results, undermines the autonomy of public institutions. Some of the affected staff described the examination as unfair and professionally flawed, insisting that further training and retraining within AIRS would have been a more appropriate solution.
The planned protest is intended to draw attention to the workers’ grievances and pressure the governor and state authorities to review the retrenchment decision. The dismissed employees also urged AIRS management to withdraw the retrenchment memo in order to preserve longstanding professional relationships and prevent further escalation.
The dispute comes amid broader social and labor tensions in Anambra State. Other groups of public servants and residents have voiced concerns over policy decisions affecting salaries and service delivery, and authorities have emphasized the importance of lawful and peaceful engagement to resolve disputes. Observers note that how the government addresses the AIRS conflict could have wider implications for labor relations and institutional governance in the state.
Governor Soludo’s administration has not issued a detailed public response to the threatened protest, but in similar past instances, the government has reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining law and order while addressing grievances through dialogue and institutional mechanisms. A swift and transparent review of the workers’ concerns could help defuse tensions and prevent disruption during the inauguration ceremony.
The looming protest by the dismissed AIRS workers reflects deep dissatisfaction within segments of the workforce who feel unfairly treated. As March 17 approaches, the resolution of this dispute, whether through negotiation, policy review, or judicial intervention, is expected to provide lessons for other states managing performance evaluation and workforce reform in the public sector.
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