Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Nigeria Labour Congress, Federal Capital Territory Council, on Wednesday directed its members across the public and private sectors to commence an indefinite strike, shutting down schools, hospitals, government offices and other establishments across Abuja over what it described as obnoxious promotion policies affecting FCT teachers and unresolved labour disputes with the FCT Administration.
The directive, which took effect on October 7, 2026, followed the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the FCT Administration on September 8, 2026. At the centre of the dispute is the FCTA’s implementation of a vacancy clause, which conditions teachers’ promotions on the availability of vacancies on the establishment. The NLC argued that teachers are recruited specifically by the FCT Universal Basic Education Board and the FCT Secondary Education Board to teach, making them distinct from core civil servants or pool staff, and that applying vacancy-based promotion schemes meant for pool officers to teachers has resulted in severe career stagnation and demoralisation.
The NLC FCT Council Chairman, Comrade Knabayi S. Adalo, said the strike became necessary because the FCT Administration had failed to provide satisfactory solutions to the union’s demands. “Teachers are not core civil servants nor pool staff and cannot be subjected to vacancy-based promotion meant for pool officers,” Adalo said. “The FCTA’s attempt to sustain industrial harmony without addressing injustice is mere wishful thinking. There can be no peace without justice”. The council described the FCTA’s response to its ultimatum as “ambiguous, dismissive, and totally unacceptable,” saying it failed to address the vacancy clause, which it identified as the root cause of career stagnation, and remained silent on what it called the illegal redeployment of directors.
The union’s demands are fourfold. First, the immediate abolition of the vacancy clause as a requirement for teacher promotions. Second, the inclusion of eligible 2025 candidates to write their promotion examinations alongside or before the 2026 candidates. Third, the reversal of redeployment and demotion letters issued to directors who benefited from the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers Act, 2022. Fourth, the dissolution and reinstatement of the management teams at the FCT Secondary Education Board and the FCT Universal Basic Education Board. Adalo directed that all schools, hospitals, offices and government establishments across the FCTA remain closed until all the union’s demands are met, and instructed affiliate industrial unions in both the public and private sectors to ensure total compliance among their members. Special enforcement committees are being established across sectors to monitor compliance, and the NLC assured workers that no individual would face victimisation for participating in what it described as a legitimate industrial action.
The FCT Administration’s position has been conveyed through a letter from the Head of the Civil Service, Mrs Nancy Nathan, dated September 29, 2026, informing the union that the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, had directed a stay of action over the concerns raised. Nathan added that the minister further directed that the issues raised should be stepped down forthwith, while the FCT Civil Service Commission should reschedule the 2025 promotion examination for the affected education officers. The NLC, however, said the response completely ignored the illegal redeployment of senior directors and offered no meaningful solution to the controversial vacancy clause.
The response from the FCTA’s agencies has been divided. The FCT Universal Basic Education Board, in an internal circular signed by its acting Executive Chairman, Nsu Rabo Baweygye, directed all schools and departments under its jurisdiction to disregard the NLC’s strike directive, stating that discussions were still ongoing with relevant authorities and that schools should remain open for normal activities. The Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools, FCT Chapter, also dissociated itself from the strike, directing secondary school teachers and education officers to report for duty. ASUSS argued that the vacancy requirement remained a statutory provision of the Public Service Rules governing establishment control and financial planning, and that altering career structures required administrative dialogue rather than coercion. It clarified that the framework for affected teachers had already been resolved, noting that the 2025 promotion process would run concurrently with the 2026 cycle under the FCT Civil Service Commission.
The political dimension of the strike has added a layer of complexity. Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister, accused the NLC FCT Council Chairman of using the strike to advance the political interests of the African Democratic Congress. Olayinka alleged that Knabayi, who is a Deputy Director in the Education Secretariat of the FCTA, was an aspirant for the chairmanship of Kuje Area Council under the ADC, and that the strike was politically motivated to position his party ahead of the 2027 elections. The NLC has not responded to the allegation, and efforts to get a reaction from Knabayi were unsuccessful as of the time of reporting.
The strike has paralysed operations across the Federal Capital Territory, with schools, hospitals, government offices and other establishments remaining shut. The NLC appealed to parents, residents and civil society organisations in the FCT to support the industrial action, warning that failure to act would lead to the total collapse of the territory’s education sector. The union framed the strike as a moral struggle rather than merely an industrial dispute, saying the FCTA’s attempt to sustain industrial harmony without addressing underlying injustice was wishful thinking.
The 2027 general elections are less than four months away, and the strike carries significant political implications. The FCT is a key battleground, and Wike has publicly staked his position as FCT Minister on delivering the territory for President Bola Tinubu in the presidential election. A prolonged shutdown of Abuja’s schools, hospitals and government offices could disrupt daily life for millions of residents and complicate the administration’s messaging on governance and service delivery. The NLC’s decision to proceed with the strike despite the FCTA’s directive for a stay of action reflects a breakdown in trust between the union and the administration, and the coming days will determine whether dialogue can resolve the impasse or whether the shutdown extends deeper into the pre-election period. For the teachers of the FCT, the strike represents a demand for what they consider fair and timely career progression. For the FCT Administration, it is a test of its capacity to manage labour relations while maintaining essential services. For the residents of Abuja, it is a disruption that affects every facet of daily life, from education to healthcare to the routine operations of government.
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