NLC directs FCT workers to begin indefinite strike

Workers under the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), including those in the private sector, have commenced an indefinite strike following the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to Minister, Nyesom Wike.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) FCT Council directed workers to withdraw their services from Wednesday October 7, 2026 over unresolved labour disputes and policy issues affecting teachers across the territory.

The council chairman, Knabayi Adalo, disclosed this in a communique issued after an emergency State Executive Council meeting.

Why workers are protesting

Adalo said the strike became necessary after the FCT Administration failed to satisfactorily address the workers’ demands.

One of the major grievances is the continued use of vacancy as a precondition for teachers’ promotion, which the labour council said has caused career stagnation and demoralisation among teachers.

The union also demanded the immediate withdrawal of redeployment and demotion letters issued to directors in agencies under the Education Secretariat who benefited from the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers Act, 2022.

Other demands include allowing eligible teachers from the 2025 batch to sit for their promotion examination alongside the 2026 batch.

The NLC also called for the dissolution and reinstatement of the management teams at the FCT Secondary Education Board (SEB) and the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB).

NLC rejects Wike’s response

Adalo said the FCT Administration’s response to the grievances was neither positive nor clear, describing it as dismissive and unacceptable.

It would be recalled that the Head of the Civil Service, FCTA, Nancy Nathan, in a letter dated September 29, informed the union that Wike had directed a stay of action on some of the issues raised.

Nathan also said the minister directed that the issues be stepped down immediately, while the FCT Civil Service Commission should reschedule the 2025 promotion examination for affected education officers.

She further conveyed the minister’s commitment to addressing other outstanding matters.

However, Adalo said the response failed to address what the union described as the illegal redeployment of senior directors and offered no meaningful solution to the controversial vacancy requirement for teachers’ promotion.

“The council will no longer tolerate the continued dehumanisation of FCT teachers through obnoxious policies alien to the teaching profession,” Adalo said.

Schools, hospitals, offices shut

As part of the strike directive, the NLC chairman ordered all schools, hospitals, offices and government establishments across the FCT Administration to remain closed until the union’s demands are met.

He also directed affiliate industrial unions in both the public and private sectors to ensure total compliance with the industrial action.

According to him, special enforcement committees will be established across various sectors to monitor compliance with the strike directive.

Adalo urged FCT workers to remain resolute throughout the industrial action, assuring them that no worker would be victimised for participating in what he described as a legitimate strike.

The indefinite strike is expected to affect government services and activities across the Federal Capital Territory until an agreement is reached between the labour unions and the FCT Administration.