FCT Schools Shut Down as Teachers Strike Over Unpaid Minimum Wage

Teachers in primary schools across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, turned away pupils on Monday, halting academic activities just days before first-term examinations were set to conclude. The action was taken in protest of the FCT administration’s failure to implement the newly approved N70,000 minimum wage.

This fresh strike marks another disruption in the school calendar, following an earlier strike that began on September 18 and lasted nearly three weeks before being called off on October 7. Despite these setbacks, teachers resumed work only to down tools again over unresolved wage disputes.

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) had earlier declared an indefinite strike starting December 1, citing the federal government and six area council chairmen’s non-compliance with the new minimum wage directive. This was in response to their failure to act on a communique issued during the NLC’s National Executive Council meeting in Port Harcourt on November 11.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Comrade Stephen Knabayi, Chairman of the NLC in the FCT, criticized the area councils for failing to implement the wage increase. Similarly, Comrade Ameh Baba, Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Kubwa, emphasized that teachers were left with no alternative after their demands, including arrears for a N40,000 peculiar allowance and a N35,000 wage award, remained unmet for over a year.

Baba noted that while FCT Minister Nyesom Wike had approved the minimum wage, with the first payments expected in November, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) teachers were yet to receive the adjustment. This failure, coupled with the expired December 1 compliance deadline set by the NLC, prompted the strike.

The ongoing labor unrest reflects broader controversies over the implementation of the new wage policy. While some states pledged to begin payments by December 1, others have not committed to timelines, fueling tension between government bodies and workers.

Teachers have vowed to continue the strike until their demands are fully addressed, leaving thousands of pupils in the FCT unable to complete their examinations.