Over 200 workers of the Anambra Internal Revenue Service (AIRS), has threaten to staged a peaceful protest on March 17, 2026 to expressed their displeasure over what they described as unjust sack by the state government.
The angry workers said the protest is scheduled to take place at the popular Aroma junction near Ekwueme Square in Awka, where governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo is billed to be sworn in for second term in office.
They argue that the retrenchment order against them for not passing a strategic tax collection examination organised by the sate government in conjunction with Price Water Corporation (PWC), was not in line with the new tax law which made provision for Revenue Houses across the 36 states of the federation including FCT to operate autonomously including training and retraining of its staff without any external interference.
Recall that the AIRS management in an internal memo dated February 18th, 2026 from the administration department and signed by Nwalusi Ifeanyi, Admin/HR for Chairman/Chief Executive, order the retrenchment of community revenue officers and other staff of the agency for their inability to pass the above mentioned examination.
The memo read in part, “As part of AIRS’s ongoing restructuring and based on the PwC administered CBT results, I am directed to convey approval of retrenchment for Community Revenue Officers on the attached list , having not met the required pass mark.
Action required: Hand over all AiRS tools, ID cards and materials in your possession to Administration/ HE Department.
Deadline: Complete handover on or before Tuesday, 19 February 2026 and the lay off takes immediate effect.
Compliance: Failure to comply will attract sanctions, up to and including legal process.
Reacting further, during a press conference in Awka on Friday, the disturbing workers who unanimously begged not to be mentioned in the print, appealed to governor Soludo to urgently intervene to save them from a total hardship.
According to them, by the virtues of the new tax law, the Price Water Corporation PWC, has no right what so ever, to interfere on the affairs of AIRS.
“As far as we are concerned, the retrenchment exercise is a misused of governance.
“What PWC did in the name of tax collection examination is nothing but a professional misconduct.
“If the retrenchment order eventually come to be truth, that’s means what we have labour for AIRS in the past 7 years are in vain.
“This is the first time majority of us will be sitting for such examination.
“First attempt should not be used to justified our capacity in taxation sector. We are begging our workable governor to returned us back to our various departments to enable us leant. Sacking us is not a good option. What we want is training and retraining.
The proposed peaceful protest is a measure to called the attention of the governor on our devastating situation as bonafide citizens of Anambra State.
“We are also appealing to the AIRS management to retract the retrenchment memo for the sake of the already existing relationship among the affected workers.
About Author
