The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has accused the FCT Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Knabayi Adalo, of using the ongoing strike by teachers to pursue political interests, alleging that the industrial action was designed to discredit the administration.
Wike, who described the strike as political, also threatened to enforce the no-work, no-pay policy against workers participating in the action, insisting that the FCT Administration had addressed the issues raised by organised labour.
The minister spoke during a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, shortly after a closed-door meeting with Area Council Chairmen and security operatives.
The strike, which commenced on Wednesday, October 7, followed the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued by the NLC to the FCT Administration over unresolved disputes concerning teachers’ promotions and welfare.
The union had demanded the removal of the vacancy requirement for teachers’ promotions, the reconsideration of eligible teachers omitted from the 2025 promotion examination, and the withdrawal of redeployment and demotion letters issued to education directors who benefited from the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers Act, 2022.
The NLC also called for the reinstatement of the dissolved management teams of the FCT Universal Basic Education Board and the Secondary Education Board, directing workers in both the public and private sectors to stay away from their duty posts until further notice.
However, the industrial action has exposed divisions within organised labour in the FCT, with the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools and the Trade Union Congress distancing themselves from the strike.
The TUC, in a statement issued on Friday by its FCT Council Secretary, Sunday Joseph, directed its affiliate unions and members to disregard the NLC’s directive and report for work, saying it was not consulted before the decision was taken.
The TUC said it neither participated in the meeting that produced the strike directive nor endorsed the industrial action, adding that disputes affecting workers and children should be resolved through consultation and established industrial relations mechanisms.
Similarly, the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools had earlier directed its members and education officers to resume their normal duties, describing the strike as premature and potentially harmful to students’ academic progress.
Against this backdrop, Wike insisted that the industrial action lacked justification, claiming that the FCT Administration had fulfilled its obligations to teachers and other local government workers.
“We want to state categorically and let it be known to the public that this so-called strike declaration is political, and we will not accept it. We will not accept it because there’s no basis for anybody to call for a strike.
“We don’t have any issue with anybody, either be it area council local education primary authority, or be it secondary schools, we have no issues,” he said.
The minister also announced the immediate implementation of the no-work, no-pay policy across the Area Councils, arguing that the strike was declared without the necessary consultations with relevant stakeholders.
Wike further alleged that Adalo, whom he identified as a candidate of the African Democratic Congress in the last Area Council elections, was using the labour dispute to create the impression that the FCT Administration had failed to keep schools running.
“And you can see his interest trying to see that FCT is in crisis, and then wants to use it as a political tool that FCT teachers are at home, and nobody is teaching students; how can you now come and vote for a government when the pupils are at home?
“We cannot accept that blackmail. We won’t accept it. I’ve told everybody, and I’ve told Labour, look, if you want to involve yourself in politics, you are free to, but then excuse yourself from the leadership of the union, so you don’t politicize it,” the minister said.
Wike maintained that the major education unions had dissociated themselves from the strike because the administration was already implementing agreements reached with workers.
The minister also warned against what he described as the manipulation of labour disputes for political purposes, urging union leaders interested in partisan politics to relinquish their leadership positions.
Responding to the allegations, Knabayi insisted that the strike was driven by unresolved grievances affecting teachers, including stagnated promotions, redeployment and the failure of the FCT Administration to address workers’ demands despite repeated correspondence.
According to him, the union could provide figures showing the number of eligible teachers whose promotions had been delayed for years, as well as details of how redeployment had affected workers.
“We can tell you how many people are on ground that have not been promoted, who are eligible teachers, who have been stagnated for many years.
“We can tell you in figures, of what we have. We can tell you how redeployment has affected the teacher. Why is he trying to see it as politics?” the Chairman queried.
Knabayi challenged the FCT Administration to explain the promotion opportunities available to teachers across different grade levels, insisting that the union’s demands were based on identifiable workplace grievances.
“We expect him to speak differently over this issue. Let him tell you how many vacancies he has declared for teachers on grade level 13, grade level 14, or grade level 15 and 16? We know what we are talking about,” he said.
The NLC chairman maintained that the union remained open to negotiations but would not suspend the industrial action without a satisfactory resolution of the issues affecting teachers.
