The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has suspended Danlami Hayyo, the Mandate Secretary for Education, following the circulation of a widely shared memo directing government schools in Abuja to close on November 28.
The controversial memo, signed by Aishatu Sani Alhassan, Director of School Services, instructed all public senior secondary schools in the FCT to shut “on or before Friday, November 28” due to unspecified security concerns. Principals were reportedly told to end academic activities immediately and dismiss students “in an orderly and safe manner.”
The FCT administration, however, clarified that no such directive had been approved. In a statement, Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications to the Minister, described the memo as “false and misleading,” emphasizing that the approved academic calendar “remains intact and unaffected.”
Olayinka stressed that “no decision mandating the closure of all government schools in the Federal Capital Territory was taken at any level of the administration,” urging parents, students, and school authorities to disregard the document.
Minister Wike has directed Nancy Sabanti Nathan, Acting Head of Service, to initiate disciplinary action against Alhassan under civil service rules.
The statement also noted that Wike had ordered the resumption of Operation Sweep and other security measures to reinforce safety around schools and communities across the FCT.
