The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has directed the six area councils in Abuja to enforce the “no work, no pay” policy against teachers and other civil servants participating in the ongoing strike declared by the FCT chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
Wike said the government would not tolerate the industrial action, insisting that the issues raised by the labour union had either been resolved or were already being addressed.
He described the strike as politically motivated and maintained that there was no justification for shutting down schools across the territory.
The minister gave the directive on Friday after meeting with the chairmen of the six area councils.
He urged them to ensure that teachers and other affected workers returned to their duties, warning that those who failed to resume work would face the consequences of the government’s decision.
“We want to state categorically and let it be known to the public: this so-called strike declaration is political, and we will not accept it. There’s no basis for anybody to call for a strike. We don’t have any issue with the local government areas, local education authorities or the primary schools,” Wike said.
He maintained that the government had engaged with relevant stakeholders and was implementing measures to address the issues surrounding promotions and other administrative concerns affecting primary school teachers.
According to the minister, some groups within the education sector had also questioned the decision to embark on the strike, arguing that the matters raised by the union were already receiving attention.
“The body of senior primary school teachers has said, ‘ No, we cannot be party to this strike; it is uncalled for. All the things they are talking about have been agreed and are being implemented, so why go on strike?” he said.
Wike also addressed concerns surrounding the promotion of teachers and the appointment of directors, explaining that the processes were ongoing and that some matters fell under the government’s establishment procedures.
“The issue of promotion is ongoing, and the issue of directors is an establishment matter,” he added.
The minister subsequently instructed the area council chairmen to contact affected teachers and civil servants and ensure that they understood the government’s position.
“I’ve directed the area councils to go back and call their teachers and civil servants. If anybody fails to resume, we’ll implement ‘no work, no pay’. Enough is enough; we can’t continue with this.”
Wike also questioned the motives of the FCT NLC leadership, alleging that its chairman, Knabayi Adalo, was using the labour dispute to advance political interests.
The minister pointed to Adalo’s participation in an area council election under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), arguing that the union’s leadership should separate political activities from its responsibilities to workers.
“If you ask who the chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress is, he was an area council candidate of the ADC in the last election. You can see his interest in ensuring that the FCT is in crisis, and then he wants to use it as a political tool — that FCT teachers are at home, nobody is teaching students, so how can you go for elections when pupils are at home?
“We cannot accept that blackmail. If you want to involve yourself in politics, you are free to do so, but excuse yourself from the leadership of the union so you don’t politicise it,” Wike said.
The allegations represent the minister’s position on the dispute. The NLC, however, has maintained that its action is driven by unresolved labour concerns rather than political considerations.
The Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), FCT chapter, had earlier distanced itself from the NLC’s strike and directed secondary school teachers and education officers to resume their normal duties.
In a related development, Recall that Politics Nigeria reported on April, that FCT teachers were preparing to begin an indefinite strike over unpaid entitlements and other outstanding welfare concerns.
The report highlighted complaints about delayed promotions, the vacancy requirement for career advancement and the non-implementation of recommendations from a committee established by the FCT minister.
However, Wike had intervened in the dispute by directing the direct payment of teachers’ allowances and other entitlements.
The intervention followed discussions with leaders of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, although concerns about promotions and other employment conditions remained part of the wider disagreement.
