AISHA YESUFU DECRIES FCT TEACHERS’ STRIKE, URGES WIKE’S INTERVENTION

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By:Tajudeen Aminat

Activist Aisha Yesufu has urged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to urgently step in and address the ongoing teachers’ strike, warning that continued neglect could severely disrupt basic education in Abuja.

Her call comes after the Nigeria Union of Teachers, FCT Wing, began an indefinite strike on Monday, April 20, 2026, over unresolved welfare concerns and the failure to implement a committee report submitted since August 2025.

In a post on her X handle on Monday, Yesufu described the situation as avoidable, stressing that teachers only resort to strike action when they have been pushed to their limit.

“Enough is enough. When teachers lay down their tools, it is never because they want to. It is because they have been pushed to the wall,” she said.

She cautioned that the consequences of the strike would be borne largely by schoolchildren rather than government officials.

“And when teachers are pushed to the wall, what suffers first is not government pride, it is the future of children,” she added.

She further noted that, according to the FCT wing of the union, a committee set up in July 2025 to review teachers’ entitlements had completed its assignment and submitted its report in August, but the recommendations are yet to be released or implemented.

She described reports from the FCT wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers as concerning, noting claims that a committee report completed since August 2025 has neither been released nor implemented.

She also pointed to unresolved entitlements and delays in staff promotions as major factors fueling the dispute.

“They are saying entitlements remain unresolved. They are saying promotions are being trapped in bureaucracy that makes no sense in a system that claims to value education,” Yesufu stated.

The activist cautioned that a prolonged strike would severely affect pupils across the territory.

“Let it be clear. When classrooms are shut, it is not government officials who feel it first. It is the child in Primary 1 trying to learn how to read,” she said.

“It is the girl who dreams of becoming a doctor. It is the boy who sees education as his only pathway out of poverty.”

She directly called on Wike to take urgent steps to prevent a complete shutdown of schools.

“Mr Nyesom Wike, leadership is not about remaining silent when systems are breaking down. It is about intervening before failure becomes inevitable,” she said.

She further argued that the teachers’ demands were straightforward and could be addressed without delay.

“Release the report. Implement what has been agreed. Fix the promotion bottlenecks. End the cycle of avoidable industrial crises that always end with the child as the victim,” she said.

The union, following an emergency meeting of its State Wing Executive Council in Gwagwalada, had directed teachers across the six area councils to begin an indefinite withdrawal of services until their demands are met.

These demands include the release and implementation of the harmonisation committee report on outstanding entitlements, as well as the resolution of promotion and welfare-related issues affecting teachers.

Although the FCT Administration had previously intervened in areas such as the implementation of the ₦70,000 minimum wage and partial payment of arrears, unresolved concerns over entitlements and career advancement have continued to heighten tensions.

Yesufu warned that further delays could weaken public confidence in the education system.

“What is the value of governance if classrooms are empty? What does authority mean if children are the ones bearing the cost of unresolved administrative delays?” she asked.

She ended with a call for urgent intervention to prevent lasting damage to the education system.

“Act now, before classrooms fall silent.”