Relief As NUT Set To End Strike In FCT Schools

By Ukpono Ukpong

After months of silence in once-lively classrooms, hope is finally returning to thousands of primary school pupils in the Federal Capital Territory, as the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) is now considering suspending its prolonged strike.

The union is considering suspending its three months of academic blackout following a bold and unexpected intervention by FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.

With emotions running high and pressure mounting from desperate parents and frustrated students, Wike stepped into the fray, offering what many are calling a political masterstroke to end the deadlock. His decisive move has reignited the possibility of restoring normalcy to public schools, breathing new life into classrooms that have stood abandoned since March.

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The teachers’ industrial action, which began on March 24, 2025, over unpaid entitlements and non-implementation of previous agreements, has kept pupils out of school across the six Area Councils. However, recent high-level meetings convened by the Minister may have finally set the stage for resolution.

Speaking after a closed-door meeting at the Minister’s official residence, the Chief of Staff to the FCT Minister, Mr. Chidi Amadi, disclosed that the minister ordered the withholding of 10 per cent of the Area Councils’ Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for six months to settle 70 per cent of the teachers’ outstanding entitlements.

“Although it will not cover 100 per cent of the debt for now, it will cover about 70 per cent. This is a laudable move towards addressing the fracas once and for all,” Amadi said.

He added that a Special Committee composed of three members of NUT, two members from FCTA, one of the area council chairmen and a representative of NANs, has been constituted to address remaining issues within two weeks.

Speaking further, Amadi also revealed that Wike’s intervention would not stop with the teachers’ demands. He said, “In addition to addressing the issues of the primary school teachers, Wike had taken a decision to address all outstanding issues of the local government employees.

““The minister pledged to personally intervene to ensure that their (local government employees’) demands are addressed by the FCTA.

“This is to ensure that the area councils resume full operations effectively immediately,” Amadi said.

The Chairman of Abaji Area Council, Abubakar Abdullahi, who spoke on behalf of the council chairmen, described the decision to forfeit their IGR as painful but necessary.

“We just finished a meeting with the minister, the leadership of the NUT, and the Area Council Chairmen. Resolutions were passed, although they did not favour the Chairman, as our six months’ IGR has been entirely committed to settling this issue.

“Our plea to the NUT is to consider our children and call off the strike. The minister clearly stated that, legally, he has no right to withhold 10% of the Area Councils’ IGR to pay NUT debts. But by God’s grace, the Chairman agreed, in the interest of peace and education, to release that amount.

“We hope that before the close of work today, the union will call off the strike, and by tomorrow, our children will return to school,” he said.

The teachers’ demands include the implementation of a ₦70,000 minimum wage, payment of 25–35 per cent salary arrears, a 40 per cent peculiar allowance, a ₦35,000 wage award announced by the Federal Government, and promotion arrears stretching back several years.

Also speaking, the National President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Olushola Ladoja, said the teachers proposed receiving 70 per cent of what was owed, which could be covered by the IGR fund allocation.

Ladoja praised the minister’s bold step and the willingness of the chairmen to concede legally sensitive funds.

“During the meeting, the NUT proposed receiving 70% of the owed sum. Based on calculations of the IGR, it was confirmed that this amount could be covered. The Minister has directed that the council chairmen’s IGR be used for this purpose and pleaded with the teachers to call off the strike.

“He also constituted a committee, which includes NANS, to look into other unresolved demands within two weeks,” he added.

The FCT NUT Chairman, Mohammed Shafa, confirmed that the union would convene a State Wing Executive Council meeting to deliberate on the resolutions and decide whether to call off the strike.

The FCT NUT is expected to communicate the final decision after its State Wing Executive Council meeting, possibly paving the way for classrooms to reopen before the end of the week.

Participants at the meeting included NUT executives, council chairmen, representatives of the National Assembly, the FCT Administration, and NANS, all of whom expressed optimism that pupils may return to school within days.