The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter, has directed all primary and secondary school teachers in the territory to embark on an indefinite strike starting Monday.
The decision was announced in a communiqué issued after an emergency SWEC meeting held in Gwagwalada, Abuja, on Friday.
The communiqué, jointly signed by the State Chairman, Abdullahi Shafa; State Secretary, Margaret Jethro; and State Publicity Secretary, Ibukun Adekeye, was made available to journalists in Abuja on Saturday.
According to the union, teachers are expected to fully comply with the directive and wait for further instructions.
Parents were also advised to keep their children and wards at home until further notice, as teachers will remain off duty until their demands are addressed.
The union stated that the action followed a review of a seven-day ultimatum earlier issued to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, on March 11, which expired on March 29.
While acknowledging the Minister’s role in implementing the N70,000 minimum wage and settling nine months’ arrears owed to primary school teachers, the council expressed concern that issues which led to the suspension of a 14-week strike on July 9, 2025, remain unresolved.
“The Minister constituted a committee on July 7, 2025 with a mandate to, within two weeks, harmonise all outstanding entitlements of primary school teachers.
“The committee was also directed to make appropriate recommendations that would lead to a permanent solution to the frequent industrial disputes involving FCT Primary School Teachers.
“The committee concluded its assignment and submitted its report in August 2025, however, the report is yet to be made public,” it said.
The union noted that the seven-day ultimatum was issued due to delays in implementing the committee’s report.
It added that the continued lack of response to teachers’ demands, especially amid harsh economic conditions in the country and within the FCT, made further action inevitable.
The FCT Administration, led by Wike, had been urged within the ultimatum period to release and implement the report on outstanding entitlements of primary school teachers.
In addition, the union demanded the removal of the “vacancies” condition tied to the promotion of classroom teachers and called for a complete review of the 2024 promotion exercise conducted by the FCT Civil Service Commission to ensure eligible teachers are promoted without hindrance.
The council expressed dissatisfaction that despite the expiration of the ultimatum on March 19, along with an additional 28-day grace period, there has been no meaningful response to the issues raised.
“After exhaustive deliberations on the industrial issues and the silence on the legitimate demands of teachers’ welfare, the Council resolved that all public primary and secondary school teachers in the FCT shall, with effect from Monday, proceed on an indefinite strike until our demands are met,” the union said.
