NUT FCT Wing Orders Indefinite Strike Over Unresolved Teacher Demands
ABUJA — The State Wing Executive Council (SWEC) of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has ordered an indefinite strike by all public primary and secondary school teachers, effective Monday, over unresolved welfare and promotion issues.
The directive, issued in a communiqué signed by State Chairman Abdullahi Shafa, State Secretary Margaret Jethro, and State Publicity Secretary Ibukun Adekeye, follows the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, which was extended by an additional 28 days without any official response.
The union cited the delayed implementation of a committee report on outstanding teacher entitlements and the removal of promotion “vacancies” prerequisites as key grievances. It also called for a full review of the 2024 promotion exercise conducted by the FCT Civil Service Commission to ensure unhindered advancement for eligible teachers.
While acknowledging the minister’s intervention in implementing the N70,000 minimum wage and clearing nine months of salary arrears for primary school teachers, SWEC expressed concern over the lack of progress on other long-standing demands. A ministerial committee, formed on July 7, 2025, to harmonise outstanding entitlements and resolve recurring industrial disputes, completed its work in August but has yet to make its findings public.
SWEC warned that teachers will remain at home until all demands are met and advised parents to keep children safe at home during the strike period. The decision, it said, was prompted by the government’s continued silence amid harsh economic conditions affecting teachers in the FCT.
The strike follows a 14-week industrial action in 2024, which was suspended after Wike’s intervention. With no tangible response to the renewed ultimatum, the union has now escalated its industrial action to press for a permanent resolution to the issues affecting FCT teachers.
