FCT Faces Total Shutdown as NLC Orders School Closure Over Teachers’ Stagnation

By Stanley Onyekwere

Schools across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) face a full-scale shutdown today as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) mobilises its enforcement committees to shut down both the public and private sectors.

The drastic move follows the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued on September 8, 2026, over the Federal Capital Territory Administration’s (FCTA) refusal to resolve issues surrounding career stagnation and welfare concerns affecting teachers in the territory.

The union’s decision, reached during an emergency meeting of its State Executive Council (SEC), marks a major escalation in the ongoing labour dispute.

In a joint communiqué and press release, NLC FCT Council Chairman, Comrade Knabayi S. Adalo, described the FCTA’s official response to the union’s demands as “ambiguous, dismissive and totally unacceptable,” signalling an end to further negotiations without concrete policy changes.

At the heart of the proposed shutdown is the FCTA’s insistence on applying a “vacancy clause” to teachers’ career advancement, a policy that restricts promotions to available budgeted positions.

The NLC maintains that teachers occupy a distinct operational category, arguing that they are recruited directly by the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (FCT UBEB) and the Secondary Education Board (FCT SEB).

According to the union, teachers are specialised educators and should not be treated in the same manner as administrative civil servants or general pool staff.

“Teachers are not core civil servants or pool staff and cannot be subjected to vacancy-based promotion meant for pool officers.

“Subjecting educators to vacancy limits meant for regular civil service pool officers creates artificial bottlenecks, leaving thousands of teachers demoralised and stagnated in their careers despite years of service,” the NLC stated.

“The FCTA’s attempt to sustain industrial harmony without addressing injustice is mere wishful thinking. There can be no peace without justice,” Comrade Adalo emphasised.

To end the indefinite strike, the NLC said the FCTA must meet three non-negotiable conditions.

The union demanded the immediate abolition of the vacancy precondition for all FCT teachers’ promotions.

It also demanded that eligible 2025 candidates be allowed to take their promotion examinations before or alongside the 2026 candidates.

The NLC further called for the withdrawal of all redeployment and demotion letters issued to senior directors covered by the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers Act, 2022, as well as the reinstatement of the leadership of the FCT SEB and FCT UBEB.

With enforcement teams deployed across Abuja to ensure compliance with the directive across all economic sectors, the NLC appealed to residents, parents and civil society organisations to endure the anticipated disruption.

The union described the industrial action as a necessary step to compel the authorities to address what it considers longstanding injustices affecting teachers and prevent what it called a total breakdown of public education in the nation’s capital.