Teachers Strike: No Alert, No Resumption, NUT Tells Wike

By Ukpono Ukpong

Primary school teachers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have vowed not to return to the classrooms until they begin receiving payment of their outstanding entitlements, despite the recent intervention by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.

The teachers, under the auspices of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), made their position known during a State Wing Executive Council (SWEC) meeting held in Abuja.

The Union’s meeting followed an earlier closed-door dialogue with the minister and area council chairmen on Thursday, July 3.

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Speaking with journalists, on behalf of striking teachers who downed tools in March over non-payment of salary arrears and unfulfilled agreements, the Chairman of the FCT NUT, Comrade Mohammed Shafa, said the decision to stay away from classrooms remains in force until concrete action is taken.

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“Our members are ready to go back to their classes any moment they start receiving alerts. In fact, even if it is this evening alerts start coming in, the union will call off the strike.”

Despite acknowledging the minister’s efforts, the NUT insisted that only actual payment, not promises, would end the industrial action.

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“The Minister has in his own wisdom set up a committee to look into other pending demands of the teachers,” Shafa said, while commending Wike’s commitment.

During the meeting, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike offered what stakeholders described as a bold step toward ending the three-month industrial action. His Chief of Staff, Mr. Chidi Amadi, disclosed that the minister ordered the withholding of 10 percent of the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of all six area councils for six months to pay about 70 percent of 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, adding that a special committee has been set up to resolve the remaining issues within two weeks.

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

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Representing the council chairmen, the Chairman of Abaji Area Council, Abubakar Abdullahi, confirmed the IGR forfeiture but appealed to the teachers for understanding. “Our six months’ IGR has been entirely committed to settling this issue. 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.

Also speaking, the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Olushola Ladoja, confirmed that the union proposed receiving 70 percent of the total owed sum and that the IGR deduction could cover it.

“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 said.

He added that the committee includes representatives from NUT, FCTA, the council chairmen, and NANS, and is expected to complete its work in two weeks.