Salary Delay Forces FCT Teachers, Council Workers into Commercial Driving

Ongoing delays in the payment of February salaries have pushed several primary school teachers and area council workers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) into commercial driving as a means of survival.

Across the six area councils, including Gwagwalada, Abaji, and Kuje, affected workers have taken to the roads, using their personal vehicles and motorcycles to transport passengers in an effort to support their families. The development comes as frustrations mount over the non-payment of wages, with many civil servants now struggling to meet basic household needs.

Mr. Ibrahim Alhassan, a primary school teacher in Gwagwalada, said he began using his motorcycle for commercial purposes after breaking his Ramadan fast each day, just to earn enough to buy food. “I have two wives and eight children. The shop owner who used to give me foodstuffs on credit has stopped because my debt is too much,” he said.

In Abaji, council worker Abdullahi Yakubu also turned to commercial driving, using his Golf car to shuttle passengers between Abaji and Gwagwalada. He criticized the inability of council chairmen to implement the new minimum wage, adding that even current salary payments are being delayed.

Another teacher, Bulus Zakariya from Kuje area council, said the unpaid salary has worsened his financial situation, with food debts already exceeding his expected income. To cope, he began operating his motorcycle as a taxi after school hours. He noted that he is still struggling to pay the remaining school fees for two of his children.

Responding to the situation, the FCT Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Stephen Knabayi, confirmed that union leaders met with the FCT Minister on Monday to discuss the matter. “There is an assurance that the payment will commence either yesterday or today for both council workers and teachers,” he said via telephone on Tuesday.

Efforts to reach Danladi Chiya, Chairman of the FCT chapter of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) and Kwali Area Council Chairman, were unsuccessful, as several calls to his phone went unanswered.