NLC ordered workers across public and private sectors to stay away from work after talks with the FCTA failed to resolve the dispute.
The Nigeria Labour Congress, FCT Council, has commenced an indefinite strike across the Federal Capital Territory over unresolved disputes surrounding teachers’ promotion, career progression and welfare.
The industrial action began on Wednesday, October 7, after the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the Federal Capital Territory Administration.
In a communiqué signed by NLC FCT Council Chairman Knabayi S. Adalo, the union directed workers across public and private establishments in the territory to withdraw their services until its demands are addressed.
The decision followed an emergency State Executive Council meeting of the labour council, which reviewed the FCTA’s response to the union’s demands.
The NLC described the administration’s response as ambiguous, dismissive and unacceptable, insisting that it failed to resolve the central issues behind the dispute.
NLC strike centres on teachers’ promotion
At the centre of the dispute is the FCTA’s use of a vacancy requirement as a condition for promoting teachers.
The NLC argues that teachers recruited through the FCT Universal Basic Education Board and FCT Secondary Education Board are employed specifically to teach and should not be subjected to a promotion system designed for general pool officers.
“Teachers are not core civil servants nor pool staff and cannot be subjected to vacancy-based promotion meant for pool officers,” Adalo said.
The union has argued that making promotion dependent on available vacancies could leave teachers stuck on the same grade despite meeting the requirements for career advancement. The issue had already triggered protests by FCT teachers in July, when members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers disrupted the 2025 promotion examination for FCT Administration workers.
The NLC is demanding the removal of the vacancy condition and the reconsideration of teachers who were eligible to sit for the 2025 promotion examination.
It also wants the withdrawal of redeployment and demotion letters issued to directors who benefited from the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers in Nigeria Act, 2022.
The union is further demanding the dissolution and reinstatement of the management teams of the FCT Secondary Education Board and FCT Universal Basic Education Board.
FCTA response fails to end FCT teachers’ dispute
The FCTA had taken steps to address some of the concerns before the strike.
According to a September 29 letter from the Head of the Civil Service, FCT, Nancy Nathan, Minister Nyesom Wike directed a stay of action on the concerns raised by the union. The minister also directed that the affected issues be stepped down and that the FCT Civil Service Commission reschedule the 2025 promotion examination for affected education officers.
The NLC, however, said the response did not address what it considered the fundamental issues, particularly the vacancy clause and the redeployment and demotion of senior directors.
The union subsequently declared that it would no longer accept what it described as policies that were detrimental to teachers’ career progression.
The strike directive covers workers across the FCT, with the NLC calling on affiliate unions to ensure compliance. The council also said enforcement committees would be established across sectors to monitor the action.
The union appealed to parents, residents, civil society organisations and other Nigerians to bear with workers and pressure the FCTA to resolve the dispute.
It warned that the continued disagreement could further disrupt education and other public services in the nation’s capital.
As of publication, the FCTA had not issued a fresh public statement responding to the declaration of the indefinite strike. The administration’s most recent documented position was the September 29 directive communicated through the Head of the Civil Service.
The FCTA’s official website confirms that its Human Resources Management Department is responsible for staff promotion, welfare and labour relations within the administration.
