FCT teachers comply as indefinite strike begins across schools
Teachers and students of LEA Ijayapi Primary School and LEA Byazhin Primary School, both under the Abuja Municipal Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), complied with the directive of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) as an indefinite strike commenced on Monday.
A visit by journalists to the schools at about 7:55 a.m. revealed deserted premises, with no teachers or pupils present. Classrooms were locked, while doors and windows remained shut.
The State Wing Executive Council (SWEC) of the NUT had earlier directed primary and secondary school teachers across the FCT to begin the industrial action following an emergency meeting held in Gwagwalada, Abuja, on Friday.
The directive was contained in a communiqué jointly signed by the State Chairman, Abdullahi Shafa; State Secretary, Margaret Jethro; and State Publicity Secretary, Ibukun Adekeye.
The union instructed all teachers to fully comply with the strike directive and await further instructions, while also advising parents to keep their children and wards at home until further notice.
According to the communiqué, the decision followed a review of a seven-day ultimatum earlier issued to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, on March 11, which expired on March 29.
While the union commended the minister for implementing the ₦70,000 minimum wage and clearing nine months’ salary arrears owed to primary school teachers, it expressed concern that other outstanding issues remain unresolved.
It recalled that the minister had set up a committee on July 7, 2025, to harmonise outstanding entitlements and recommend lasting solutions to recurring industrial disputes.
Although the committee submitted its report in August 2025, the union said the document had neither been made public nor implemented.
Among its demands, the union called for the immediate release and implementation of the report, the removal of the “vacancies” condition attached to teachers’ promotions, and a comprehensive review of the 2024 promotion exercise conducted by the FCT Civil Service Commission.
The SWEC expressed disappointment that despite the expiration of the ultimatum and an additional 28-day grace period, there had been no meaningful response from the authorities.
Consequently, the union resolved that all public primary and secondary school teachers in the FCT should proceed on an indefinite strike until their demands are met.
“After exhaustive deliberations on the industrial issues and the silence on teachers’ welfare demands, the Council resolved that all public primary and secondary school teachers in the FCT shall, with effect from Monday, proceed on an indefinite strike until our demands are met,” the communiqué stated.
Source: The Punch