WIKE THREATENS NO-WORK, NO-PAY FOR FCT TEACHERS, SAYS STRIKE POLITICAL
Read Time:4 Minute, 29 Second
By ‘Sefiu Ajape
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 teachers’ strike to pursue political interests, alleging that the industrial action was aimed at discrediting the administration.
Wike described the strike as politically motivated and threatened to enforce the no-work, no-pay policy against participating workers, insisting that the FCT Administration had addressed the grievances raised by organised labour.
The minister spoke during a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, following a closed-door meeting with Area Council chairmen and security operatives.
The strike began on Wednesday, October 7, after the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued by the NLC over unresolved disputes involving teachers’ promotions and welfare.
The union is demanding the removal of the vacancy requirement for teachers’ promotions, a review 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.
It 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 the public and private sectors to stay away from their duty posts until further notice.
However, the strike has exposed divisions within organised labour in the FCT, as the Trade Union Congress and the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools distanced themselves from the action.
In a statement issued on Friday, the TUC FCT Council Secretary, Sunday Joseph, directed affiliate unions and members to disregard the NLC’s directive and report for work, saying the congress was not consulted before the strike was declared.
The TUC said it neither participated in the meeting that produced the directive nor endorsed the industrial action, adding that disputes affecting workers and students should be resolved through consultation and established industrial relations mechanisms.
Similarly, the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools had directed its members and education officers to resume normal duties, describing the strike as premature and potentially harmful to students’ academic progress.
Despite the divisions, Wike maintained that the strike was unjustified, 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 exploiting the dispute to portray the FCT Administration as incapable of keeping schools operational.
“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 argued that the decision by major education unions to distance themselves from the strike reinforced his position that the administration was implementing agreements reached with workers.
He also urged union leaders interested in partisan politics to relinquish their leadership positions rather than use labour disputes for political purposes.
However, Adalo rejected the allegation that the strike was politically motivated, insisting that it was driven by unresolved workplace grievances, including delayed promotions, redeployment and the administration’s alleged failure to address workers’ demands despite repeated correspondence.
The NLC chairman said the union could provide figures showing the number of eligible teachers whose promotions had been delayed for years, as well as details of the effects of redeployment on 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.
Adalo also challenged the FCT Administration to disclose the number of promotion vacancies declared for teachers across different grade levels, maintaining that the union’s demands were based on identifiable 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 strike without a satisfactory resolution of the issues affecting teachers.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0