FCT Primary School Teachers Begin Indefinite Strike

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has directed its members across the six area councils to embark on an industrial strike from Monday, September 11, 2023, over non-payment of teachers 25 months arrears and non-implementation of 40 percent peculiar allowance for its members by the council chairmen.

Secondary and primary schools across the FCT were supposed to resume for their first term academic session on Monday, September 11, 2023.

The union gave the directive in a communique issued at the end of its emergency State Wing Executive Council (SWEC) meeting held at the Teachers’ House in Gwagwalada, jointly signed by NUT state chairman, Comrade Stephen Knabayi and secretary, Margaret F. Jethro.

The communique noted that after extensive deliberation on the state of education in the FCT, the welfare of its members particularly the seven days ultimatum issued to the six area council chairmen to pay the 40 percent peculiar allowance and other outstanding allowances of primary school teachers, nothing had been done to address these issues.

The communique added that the council chairmen had also failed to pay other outstanding allowances, which they said included non-implementation of promotion arrears, non-upgrading of concerned teachers, non-implementation of annual increments, non-implementation of promotion letters released for teachers, among others.

“And having explored and exhausted all available avenues of getting these outstanding demands of the concerned teachers met without the desired result including non-commitment of the councils to the welfare of primary school teachers, the SWEC in-session resolved to direct all primary school teachers to embark on an infinite strike action on Monday, September 11, 2023,” the communique said.

The union, therefore, vowed that it will not call off the strike action until its demands are met while calling on parents across the FCT to remain guided by keeping their wards and children safe at home.

The chairman of the Kwali area council, Danladi Chiya, who is also the FCT ALGON chairman did not respond to calls and text messages sent to him over the union’s demand.