The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Wing, has directed all primary and secondary school teachers in the territory to commence an indefinite strike from Monday.
The directive was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of an emergency State Wing Executive Council (SWEC) meeting held in Gwagwalada, Abuja, on Friday.
The communiqué, jointly signed by the State Chairman, Abdullahi Shafa; State Secretary, Margaret Jethro; and State Publicity Secretary, Ibukun Adekeye, was made available to journalists in Abuja on Saturday.
The union instructed teachers to comply fully with the strike action and await further directives. It also advised parents to keep their children and wards at home until further notice, stressing that teachers would remain on strike until all their demands are met.
The NUT explained that the decision followed the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, on March 11, which lapsed on March 19, alongside an additional 28-day grace period granted to authorities without any response.
While commending the minister for implementing the ₦70,000 minimum wage and paying nine months’ arrears owed to primary school teachers, the union expressed concern over the delay in addressing other outstanding issues.
It recalled that a committee set up on July 7, 2025, to harmonise teachers’ outstanding entitlements and recommend lasting solutions to recurring disputes, submitted its report in August 2025, but the report had yet to be made public or implemented.
The union said the ultimatum became necessary due to the continued silence on teachers’ legitimate demands, especially amid prevailing economic challenges.
Among its demands, the NUT called for the immediate release and implementation of the committee’s report, removal of the “vacancies” condition attached to teachers’ promotion, and a comprehensive review of the 2024 promotion exercise conducted by the FCT Civil Service Commission.
“After exhaustive deliberations on the industrial issues and the silence on the legitimate demands of teachers’ welfare, 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.
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