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The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Federal Capital Territory Council, has commenced an indefinite strike across Abuja over unresolved welfare issues affecting teachers in the territory.
The industrial action began on Wednesday following the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on September 8, 2026.
In a communique signed by the NLC FCT Council Chairman, Knabayi S. Adalo, the union rejected the FCTA’s response to its demands, describing it as unclear and unacceptable.
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The dispute centres on the FCTA’s use of a vacancy clause that makes the promotion of teachers dependent on the availability of vacant positions.
The NLC argued that teachers are recruited specifically by the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (FCT UBEB) and the FCT Secondary Education Board (FCT SEB) to teach, and should therefore not be treated in the same manner as core civil servants or pool officers.
According to the union, applying vacancy-based promotion rules to teachers has resulted in prolonged career stagnation and weakened morale among educators.
The Congress is demanding the immediate removal of the vacancy clause as a condition for teacher promotions. It also wants eligible candidates from 2025 allowed to sit for promotion examinations alongside, or ahead of, the 2026 candidates.
Other demands include the reversal of redeployment and demotion letters issued to directors who benefited from the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers Act, 2022, as well as the dissolution and reinstatement of management teams at FCT SEB and FCT UBEB.
The NLC directed workers across the public and private sectors, including affiliate unions in schools, hospitals, offices and government establishments, to withdraw their services from October 7 until the demands are addressed.
The union has also established enforcement committees to mobilise workers and monitor compliance with the strike across the FCT.
Adalo maintained that teachers should not be subjected to promotion rules designed for pool officers because they are neither core civil servants nor pool staff.
He argued that the FCTA could not achieve industrial harmony without addressing what the union considers an injustice, stressing that a lasting resolution would require justice for the affected teachers.
“Teachers are not core civil servants nor pool staff and cannot be subjected to vacancy-based promotion meant for pool officers. The FCTA’s attempt to sustain industrial harmony without addressing injustice is mere wishful thinking.
“There can be no peace without justice,” Adalo said.
The NLC called on parents, residents and civil society organisations in the FCT to support the strike, warning that failure to resolve the dispute could further damage the territory’s education sector.
