Abuja Teachers Commence Indefinite Strike Monday

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has instructed primary and secondary school educators to commence an indefinite industrial action starting Monday. This directive was issued following an emergency meeting of the State Wing Executive Council (SWEC) in Gwagwalada, Abuja, on Friday.

The communique, released on Saturday and co-signed by State Chairman Abdullahi Shafa, State Secretary Margaret Jethro, and State Publicity Secretary Ibukun Adekeye, urges teachers to adhere to the strike order and await further communication.

Parents have also been advised to keep their children and wards home from both primary and secondary schools until further notice. The union emphasized that teachers will remain out of the classroom until all their demands are met.

This action stems from the SWEC meeting called to assess the response to a seven-day ultimatum given to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, on March 11, which concluded on March 29.

While acknowledging the Minister's efforts in implementing the N70,000 Minimum Wage and paying nine months of arrears to primary school teachers, the union expressed concern over the unresolved issues that led to the suspension of a prior 14-week strike on July 9, 2025.

The union recalled that a committee was formed on July 7, 2025, with a two- week mandate to harmonize outstanding entitlements for primary school teachers and propose lasting solutions to recurring industrial disputes. This committee submitted its report in August 2025, but its findings have not yet been made public.

The recent seven-day ultimatum was issued due to the unexplained delay in implementing this committee's report and the persistent silence on teachers' legitimate demands amidst the current challenging economic climate in the country, particularly in the FCT.

Specifically, the FCT Administration was called upon within the ultimatum to release and implement the report on primary school teachers' outstanding entitlements. Additionally, the union demanded the removal of the "vacancies" prerequisite for classroom teachers' promotion and a thorough review of the FCT Civil Service Commission's 2024 promotion exercise to ensure unhindered promotions for eligible educators.

The SWEC noted that despite the expiration of the seven-day ultimatum on March 19, and an additional 28-day grace period granted to the authorities, there has been no substantive response to the issues raised.

Consequently, after thorough deliberation on the industrial matters and the lack of progress on teachers' welfare concerns, the Council resolved that all public primary and secondary school teachers in the FCT will commence an indefinite strike from Monday until their demands are satisfied.