The Nigeria Labour Congress, FCT Council, has commenced an indefinite strike across the Federal Capital Territory over unresolved concerns surrounding the promotion and welfare of teachers.
The industrial action began on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, following a decision reached at the council’s State Executive Council meeting held on Tuesday at Labour House, Abuja.
In a statement signed by the FCT NLC Chairman, Knabayi Adalo, the union directed workers in both the public and private sectors to withdraw their services and remain at home until further notice.
The decision came after the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the FCT Administration over demands relating to teachers’ promotion and the treatment of directors affected by the Harmonised Teachers Retirement Age Act, 2022.
Among the union’s demands are the removal of the vacancy requirement for the promotion of FCT teachers, allowing teachers eligible in 2025 to take their promotion examinations, and reversing redeployment and demotion letters issued to directors who benefited from the retirement-age law.
The NLC said the response from the FCT Administration did not resolve the issues raised in its ultimatum.
“The FCTA’s response to our ultimatum was vague and did not address the core issue of the vacancy clause, including the unlawful demotion of directors,” the union said.
The labour body argued that teachers should not be subjected to the same vacancy-based promotion system used for pool officers, stressing that teachers were recruited specifically to provide educational services.
“We want to make it clear: Teachers are not core civil servants nor pool staff and cannot be subjected to vacancy-based promotion meant for pool officers,” the statement added.
The NLC further accused the FCT Administration of seeking industrial peace without resolving what it described as the injustice against teachers.
“The FCTA’s attempt to sustain industrial harmony without addressing injustice is mere wishful thinking. There can be no peace without justice,” it stated.
The council subsequently ordered all workers in the territory to stay away from their workplaces from October 7 until its demands are addressed.
“Consequently, all workers in the FCT – public and private – are directed to stay away from their duty posts and stay at home from 7th October, 2026, until further notice,” it said.
The union appealed to residents, particularly parents, to bear with workers during the strike and called on civil society groups and other concerned Nigerians to intervene.
It said, “We call on the general public, especially parents and residents of the FCT, to bear with us. We also call on civil society and well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the FCTA to do the right thing to save the education sector in the FCT from total collapse.”
The NLC stressed that the action was not a warning strike, declaring, “The strike will be total and indefinite.”
As of press time, the FCT Administration had not publicly responded to the strike declaration.
