FCT Teachers Begin Indefinite Strike Over Unpaid Entitlements

Public primary and secondary school teachers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), under the Nigeria Union of Teachers, have commenced an indefinite strike effective Monday, April 20, 2026.

The industrial action affects all six area councils in Abuja and follows the alleged failure of the FCT Administration to release and implement a report addressing outstanding entitlements owed to teachers.

The directive was issued in a communiqué released after an emergency meeting of the union held in Gwagwalada. The document was jointly signed by the FCT NUT Chairman, Abdullah Shafas; Secretary, Margaret Jethro; and Publicity Secretary, Ibukun Adekeye.

According to the union, the strike was triggered by the authorities’ continued silence despite earlier ultimatums. The teachers had issued a seven-day notice on March 19, 2026, followed by an additional 28-day grace period, both of which expired without any concrete response.

Central to the dispute is a committee reportedly set up by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, on July 7, 2025, to harmonise outstanding entitlements and propose lasting solutions to recurring industrial disputes. Although the committee submitted its report in August 2025, the union said it has yet to be made public or implemented.

The NUT is also demanding the removal of “vacancy” as a requirement for teachers’ promotion, as well as a comprehensive review of the 2004 promotion exercise conducted by the FCT Civil Service Commission.

“The strike was necessitated by the failure of the FCT Administration to explain the delay in implementing the committee’s report and its continued silence on the demands of teachers amid prevailing economic hardship,” the communiqué stated.

The union has directed all affected teachers to comply fully with the strike order and advised parents to keep their children and wards at home until further notice.

The development comes as schools in the FCT were scheduled to resume for the second term, raising concerns over disruption to the academic calendar.