Staff members of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, under the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC), concluded their three-day protest on Wednesday by giving authorities a fresh 21-day ultimatum to meet their demands or face more action.
This comes as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, prepares for a critical meeting with leaders of the six area councils, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) over the ongoing strike by primary school teachers and other civil servants.
The union began their protest on Monday, June 30, 2025, mainly over unpaid salaries, the ongoing strike by FCT primary school teachers, and unpaid wage awards for health workers. Another key demand includes the removal of Emeka Ezeh, Chairman of the FCT Civil Service Commission.
JUAC President, Rifkatu Iortyer, earlier issued a call for all affiliate unions to join the protest which ran until Wednesday, July 2, 2025. She noted that the protest became necessary due to the “blatant refusal of the FCT minister to address salient issues affecting staff.”
During the closing rally of the protest, Iortyer said the union had attempted to engage with FCTA management, but left the meeting after management failed to face the workers gathered at the gate.
“Yesterday, we met with the management. Due to the fact that they did not come out to address you, distinguished colleagues, we walked out. We told them it is not just us alone; we are only leading you, and we are telling them what you have sent us to tell them. And if they cannot come out to talk to all of us who stayed in the rain, we are not listening to them.
“And believe me, every member of JUAC walked out on management. We told them that if they wanted us to listen to them, they should address us here today. Have they come? Did you see them? Are we stopping?” she said.
Iortyer added that the union would take further action based on international labour laws.
“So, it is on this note that today we must close. According to the ILO law for strikes and other industrial actions, we have now protested, and we have made our grievances heard.
“We are going to give them a 21-day ultimatum. We have written the letter, and it is with us. After that, according to the ILO law again, we will give them 14 days, since we have waited 21 days, and you’ve not spoken. After the 14 days, we will now give them seven days. After those seven days, we will come out again,” Iortyer stated.
In response, Wike has started holding talks aimed at finding a solution to the crisis. NANS confirmed in a joint statement that it held meetings with the Department of State Services (DSS), the House of Representatives Committee on the FCT, and eventually with the FCT Minister himself.
During these discussions, Wike explained that full local government autonomy in the FCT makes area councils responsible for paying salaries, not the FCTA.
“The FCT Administration is not directly responsible for the backlog of teachers’ salaries and should not be held solely accountable for the inadequacies of the area councils,” Wike was quoted as saying.
To help ease the problem, Wike offered a bailout where the FCTA would pay 60% of the debts while the councils cover the remaining 40%.
“In a show of responsibility and commitment to resolving the crisis, Wike intervened by proposing a bailout, with FCTA offering to pay 60 per cent of the outstanding arrears while the area councils cover the remaining 40 per cent,” the statement read.
Wike also withheld the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of area councils for May and June to fund the councils’ share of the payments.
“When it became clear that this arrangement was not yielding the desired results, the FCT minister withheld the IGR of the area councils for May and June, with a plan to utilise these funds to make up the 40 per cent required from the councils to clear the outstanding arrears owed to teachers.”
NANS noted that the money would likely be released before the end of the week. The group has now paused its planned protest and is watching to see if the government delivers on its promises.
“We reaffirm our commitment to defending the rights of Nigerian students and ensuring that no child is denied access to education due to governmental lapses,” NANS stated.
