NLC Begins Indefinite FCT Strike Over Teachers' Promotion Rule

The Federal Capital Territory Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress began an indefinite strike on Wednesday, October 7, directing public and private sector workers across the FCT to stay away from work. The dispute centres on a rule that ties teachers' promotions to available vacancies.

The decision followed a State Executive Council meeting on Tuesday at Labour House in Abuja. In a communique, the council's chairman, Knabayi S. Adalo, said the FCT Administration had failed to give satisfactory answers to the union's demands, and called the strike "total and indefinite". He assured workers that no one would be victimised for taking part. Most reports say the strike followed a seven-day ultimatum, although The Sun reports a 14-day warning.

At the heart of the dispute is the FCTA's use of a "vacancy clause", under which a teacher can be promoted only if a vacancy exists. The NLC says teachers were recruited by the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (FCT UBEB) and the FCT Secondary Education Board (FCT SEB) specifically to teach, so they should not be treated like core civil servants or pool staff. It argues that the rule leaves qualified teachers stuck in their careers and demoralised.

The NLC is demanding the immediate abolition of the vacancy clause for teachers' promotion and the inclusion of teachers who were eligible in 2025 in the promotion exam alongside, or before, the 2026 candidates. It also wants redeployment and demotion letters reversed for directors who benefited from the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers Act, 2022, along with the dissolution and reinstatement of management teams at FCT SEB and FCT UBEB.

In a September 29 letter, the FCTA's Head of the Civil Service, Nancy Nathan, told the union that Minister Nyesom Wike had ordered a stay of action on the concerns raised and the rescheduling of the 2025 promotion exam for affected education officers. The NLC rejected the reply as ambiguous and dismissive, saying it ignored the vacancy clause and the redeployment of directors. Metro Daily reported that the FCTA had not publicly reacted to the strike as of press time.

The NLC directed workers to shut schools, hospitals, government offices and other establishments, and ordered affiliates to mobilise members and set up enforcement committees. How widely the strike is being observed was not clear in the reports reviewed. The union appealed to parents, residents and civil society to bear with workers and urge the FCTA to settle the dispute, saying there can be no peace without justice.

A separate strike by FCTA workers in January 2026 was halted by a National Industrial Court order, and Mr Wike warned at the time that defying the order would attract sanctions.

The next step is likely to be talks between the NLC and the FCT Administration, and the strike's length will decide how far schools and services are disrupted. 247NewsCheck will follow the story.

Source and attribution: This 247NewsCheck report is based on the NLC FCT Council's communique and reports from Leadership, Voice of Nigeria, Tribune, TheWill, The Sun, Metro Daily and other Nigerian outlets. The positions described belong to the NLC and the FCTA and are not independent findings by 247NewsCheck.