The State Wing Executive Council of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has directed all public primary and secondary school teachers in Abuja to embark on an indefinite strike beginning Monday.
The union also advised parents to keep their children and wards at home until further notice, citing unresolved welfare issues and government inaction.
PrimeTimes Nigeria reports that the decision was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of an emergency SWEC meeting held in Gwagwalada, Abuja, over the weekend.
The communiqué, jointly signed by the State Chairman, Abdullahi Shafa; State Secretary, Margaret Jethro; and State Publicity Secretary, Ibukun Adekeye, was made available to journalists on Saturday.
The union directed teachers across the FCT to fully comply with the strike order and await further instructions from the leadership.
According to the communiqué, teachers are to withdraw their services indefinitely until their demands are met.
It urged parents and guardians to prioritise the safety of their children by keeping them at home throughout the period of the industrial action.
The union explained that the strike followed the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum earlier issued to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, on March 11, which lapsed on March 29 without any meaningful response.
The council noted that although the minister had previously intervened in the dispute, leading to the suspension of a 14-week strike on July 9, 2025, key issues remained unresolved.
“The Minister constituted a committee on July 7, 2025 with a mandate to, within two weeks, harmonise all outstanding entitlements of primary school teachers.
“The committee was also directed to make appropriate recommendations that would lead to a permanent solution to the frequent industrial disputes involving FCT Primary School Teachers.
“The committee concluded its assignment and submitted its report in August 2025; however, the report is yet to be made public,” the union said.
The NUT acknowledged the implementation of the ₦70,000 minimum wage and the payment of nine months’ arrears to primary school teachers in the FCT, describing it as a step in the right direction.
However, it expressed concern over the delay in releasing and implementing the committee’s report on outstanding entitlements.
The union stated that the ultimatum was issued due to the “unexplained delay” and the continued silence of authorities on teachers’ demands amid worsening economic conditions.
It further demanded the removal of the “vacancies” condition for the promotion of classroom teachers and called for a comprehensive review of the 2024 promotion exercise conducted by the FCT Civil Service Commission.
The council lamented that even after the expiration of the initial seven-day ultimatum and an additional 28-day grace period granted to the authorities, there had been no tangible response.
“After exhaustive deliberations on the industrial issues and the silence on the legitimate demands of teachers’ welfare, the Council resolved that all public primary and secondary school teachers in the FCT shall, with effect from Monday, proceed on an indefinite strike until our demands are met,” the communiqué stated.