Public primary and secondary school teachers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have commenced an indefinite strike as of Monday. The action follows a directive by the State Wing Executive Council (SWEC) of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, issued after an emergency meeting held in Gwagwalada, Abuja, on Friday. The communiqué was signed by Abdullahi Shafa, state chairman; state secretary Margaret Jethro; and state publicity secretary Ibukun Adekeye. Teachers have been instructed to withdraw their services, with parents advised to keep children at home until further notice.
The strike comes after the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to Nyesom Wike, FCT Minister, on March 11, and an additional 28-day grace period, both of which ended without response from the authorities. While the union acknowledged the implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage and the payment of nine months' salary arrears to primary school teachers, it stated that other demands remain unmet. A key issue is the non-release of a report by a ministerial committee established on July 7, 2025, to harmonise outstanding entitlements and address recurring disputes. The committee submitted its findings in August 2025, but the report has not been made public. The union is also demanding a review of the 2024 promotion exercise by the FCT Civil Service Commission and the removal of the "vacancies" requirement for teacher promotions.
The union recognises partial progress on pay but insists key commitments remain unfulfilled, exposing a disconnect between announced reforms and their full implementation. Teachers in FCT public schools now face uncertainty, with no timeline for when classrooms will reopen. Students and parents must bear the immediate cost of administrative delays in releasing and acting on a report submitted over seven months ago. The longer the stalemate persists, the more learning time is lost to unresolved bureaucratic bottlenecks.
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