The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) says it is mobilising to shut down the territory after President Bola Tinubu concludes the inauguration of projects on Wednesday, July 3.
The chapter chairman, Dr. Stephen Knabayi, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday, June 26.
Knabayi said the planned action aims to draw attention to the ongoing strike by area council workers, which the FCT Administration has yet to address.
NAN reports that primary healthcare centres remain locked, primary school teachers have been at home, and the secretariats of all six area councils have been abandoned for months.
The workers, including teachers and healthcare staff, went on strike over several unmet demands, including the non-payment of the minimum wage, the 40 per cent peculiar allowance, and the non-implementation of the 25 per cent and 35 per cent salary increases. They are also demanding payment of the N35,000 wage award and other pending benefits.
Describing the situation as “very unfortunate,” Knabayi said the area council chairmen had left the union with no choice but to escalate the protest and shut down the capital.
He recalled that the union had issued a seven-day ultimatum to the FCT Administration on Thursday, June 13, to address the demands of teachers, health workers, and other local government staff. The ultimatum, which expired on Thursday, June 20, followed a resolution by the executives of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), and the National Association of Health Workers.
According to Knabayi, the union chose to delay further action to allow President Tinubu to complete his project inauguration activities marking his second year in office.
“We had to extend the ultimatum because of Tinubu’s movements to inaugurate the FCT-executed projects,” Knabayi said. “Members of the union will take over the streets of Abuja as soon as Tinubu concludes the inaugurations, hopefully on Wednesday, July 3. We are waiting for it to end, and we will come together to step up our planned action.”
He added that the NLC has already informed the FCT Administration and security agencies about the planned protest, which he described as a last resort.
Knabayi lamented that despite months of industrial action, the issues affecting local government workers remain unresolved. He pointed out that although the N70,000 minimum wage was implemented in May, payments were halted in June without explanation.
“Like you know, strike or protest is always the last option, but we were left with no other option. We are not happy, and it is not going to be a small thing if they don’t do the needful,” he warned.
Knabayi also accused area council chairmen of spending large sums of money in preparation for the February 2026 FCT Area Councils’ Election, arguing that such funds could instead be used to settle outstanding worker entitlements.
He called on the FCT Minister, Mr. Nyesom Wike, to take stronger steps to compel the area council chairmen to resolve the welfare crisis.
NAN recalls that Wike has made multiple efforts to address the situation, including the recent release of N4.1 billion to the area councils to support minimum wage payments. He has repeatedly explained that the responsibility for paying primary school teachers and healthcare workers lies with the area councils, not the FCT Administration.
During a protest on Wednesday, April 24, the FCT NUT Chairman, Mr. Abdullahi Shafa, acknowledged Wike’s intervention and the disbursement of funds, but the strike has persisted.
Meanwhile, on Monday, May 13, the chairmen of the six area councils held a press conference urging the striking workers to return. Mr. John Gabaya, Secretary of the FCT Chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), specifically appealed to primary school teachers to resume classes in the interest of pupils while negotiations continue.
