The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), FCT Council, has directed public and private sector workers in the Federal Capital Territory to commence an indefinite strike over unresolved issues surrounding the promotion of FCT teachers.
The strike takes effect from Wednesday, October 7, 2026, according to a statement issued by the NLC FCT Council on Wednesday and signed by its Chairman, Comrade Knabayi S. Adalo.
The council directed workers to stay away from their duty posts until further notice, with schools, offices, hospitals and other government establishments in the FCT expected to remain shut.
The action followed the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued by the NLC to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, over what the union described as unresolved labour issues affecting teachers.
The NLC is demanding the removal of the vacancy requirement for the promotion of FCT teachers and the reconsideration of teachers who were due for promotion in 2025 to enable them sit for the promotion examination.
The union is also demanding the withdrawal of redeployment and demotion letters issued to directors who are beneficiaries of the Harmonized Retirement Age for Teachers Act, 2022.
The NLC said its State Executive Council reviewed the response of the FCT Administration at its meeting on October 6 and found it “ambiguous and totally unacceptable.”
According to the council, the FCTA’s response failed to address what it described as the fundamental issue of the vacancy condition for teachers’ promotion and did not adequately address the redeployment of affected directors.
The union argued that teachers should not be subjected to vacancy-based promotion because they were recruited specifically to teach by the FCT Universal Basic Education Board and FCT Secondary Education Board.
“Teachers are neither core civil servants nor pool staff and cannot be subjected to vacancy-based promotion schemes meant for pool officers,” the NLC said.
The council said the dispute had resulted in career stagnation and demoralisation among FCT teachers.
It directed its affiliate unions to mobilise their members for the strike and establish enforcement committees across the territory.
The NLC also appealed to parents, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to prevail on the FCTA to address the issues, warning that the dispute could further affect the education sector.
The union said workers participating in the industrial action would not be victimised.
The NLC had on September 8 issued a seven-day ultimatum to the FCT Administration over the teachers’ promotion issues, among other demands.
The strike comes amid an ongoing dispute over the conduct and conditions attached to promotion examinations for FCT civil servants, particularly teachers.
