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Over 3,000 contract facility cleaners employed by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) have begun an indefinite strike over the non-payment of salaries for more than nine months.
The industrial action has paralysed cleaning services across several government ministries, departments, and agencies in Abuja.
The strike, which started on September 25, 2025, followed months of unresolved complaints and warning letters sent by contractors under the Association of FCT Solid Waste and Cleaning Contractors to the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), the body responsible for managing cleaning contracts in the city.
In a letter addressed to the AMMC before the strike commenced, the association stated that its members had not received payment since January 2025, despite continuing to render services to the FCTA.
The association wrote, “We have reached a point where passion and commitment alone cannot sustain this essential service. Without payment, we cannot continue.”
Findings by our correspondent revealed that thousands of cleaners have downed tools for nearly three weeks, forcing civil servants to clean their offices and toilets themselves. Many public buildings in the capital are now surrounded by overflowing bins and littered surroundings.
“They’ve been on strike for about three weeks now. I had to clean the office myself on Monday,” one FCTA staff member, who requested anonymity, told our reporter. “They haven’t been paid for over eight months, so we’re all just taking turns to clean.”
Another civil servant, identified as Joseph, said offices had resorted to buying their own cleaning materials to prevent health risks caused by accumulated waste.
“Some departments now buy mops, brooms, and trash bags just to maintain basic hygiene. The toilets are in terrible condition — water everywhere, blocked drains, and some people not flushing. It’s chaotic,” he said.
One of the striking cleaners, who identified herself simply as Iliya, said workers had endured severe hardship, relying on assistance from colleagues while awaiting their salaries.
“They owe us more than eight months’ pay, and the contractors owe another three months. I live in Jahi village and pay ₦300,000 rent. We’ve not been paid, and I’m surviving only by God’s grace and the help of my superiors,” she explained.
She added that the strike did not come as a surprise, noting that cleaners had repeatedly issued strike warnings and even protested in Area 11 earlier in the year. Despite the harsh economic situation, Iliya lamented that cleaners still earn only ₦20,000 per month, calling it “painful and degrading.”
Investigations also revealed that the FCTA allocated over ₦7.3 billion for environmental sanitation and public facility maintenance in its 2025 budget, raising questions about why cleaners maintaining government offices have remained unpaid for nine months.
Efforts to obtain clarification from the AMMC were unsuccessful, as calls to the Coordinator, Felix Obuah, went unanswered. Likewise, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to the FCT Minister, Lere Olayinka, did not respond to messages sent via text and WhatsApp at the time of filing this report.
