About 5,990 education officers in the Federal Capital Territory Administration have commenced a rescheduled promotion examination following approval by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
The exercise, which began on October 5, is intended to provide another opportunity for officers who could not participate in the 2025 promotion examination.
The minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Media, Lere Olayinka, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Monday.
The affected officers, comprising teachers and other education personnel on Grade Levels 13 to 17, are taking the examination after the previous exercise was disrupted in July 2025.
The disruption reportedly followed a protest during which officials of the FCT chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers allegedly forced candidates out of the examination venue on the two days designated for education officers.
Following appeals from affected workers and labour organisations, including the Joint Union Action Committee, the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools and the NUT, Wike approved a fresh examination.
During an inspection of the venue, the Head of the FCTA Civil Service, Nancy Sabanti Nathan, expressed satisfaction with the candidates’ turnout and the orderly conduct of the exercise.
She said the rescheduled examination had restored an opportunity for officers whose participation was affected by the earlier protest.
“I am so happy that they came out in this number for their examination. The last time, some of them were swept into the protest and could not write,” Nathan said.
She added, “But the Honourable Minister, in the spirit of the Renewed Hope Agenda, renewed their hope by approving that they should come and write the exams.”
Nathan urged the candidates to approach the examination seriously, noting that promotion was an important stage in public service career development.
She, however, explained that advancement to senior positions was constrained by the limited number of vacancies available at higher grade levels.
According to her, the harmonised retirement age policy, which extended teachers’ service by five years, had reduced the number of vacancies created by retirements in recent years.
She encouraged the candidates to perform well, stressing that promotions would be determined by merit and the availability of positions.
The Chairman of the FCT Civil Service Commission, Emeka Ezeh, also confirmed that approximately 5,990 education officers were participating in the exercise.
He said the examination covered officers seeking advancement from Grade Level 13 to Grade Level 14, as well as those aspiring to reach Grade Level 17.
Ezeh urged candidates to remain focused and avoid external influence or political considerations that could undermine their professional progress.
He reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to ensuring a transparent and merit-based promotion process.
Meanwhile, the President of the Joint Unions Action Congress for the FCTA and FCDA, Rifkatu Iortyer, described the examination as peaceful, noting that officers in other cadres had completed their tests before the exercise for education personnel.
She welcomed the decision to give teachers who missed the 2025 examination another opportunity, saying the turnout demonstrated their determination to advance their careers despite the ongoing labour dispute in the FCT.
However, Iortyer expressed concern about the effect of the industrial action involving labour unions on teaching and learning activities.
She called on the FCTA management and labour leaders to resume negotiations to resolve their differences in the interest of pupils and students.
The union leader also disclosed that informal mediation efforts were underway, expressing hope that dialogue would lead to a mutually acceptable resolution.
She urged union members to remain calm, adding that sustained engagement between the parties could prevent further escalation of the dispute.
